198 THE STORY-BOOK OF SCIENCE 



but heavy columns of water, which, in their fall, 

 would strip the trees of their branches, crush the 

 harvests, and make the roofs of our houses fall in. 

 But, far from taking this devastating form, rain 

 falls in drops as if passed through a sieve placed by 

 design in its passage to divide it and weaken the 

 shock. On rare occasions, it is true, rain does reach 

 us under so strange a disguise as to strike the ig- 

 norant with terror. Who would not be frightened 

 when it rains blood or sulphur?" 



"What do you say, Uncle ?" interrupted Emile; 

 "rains blood or sulphur? For my part, I should be 

 dreadfully afraid." 



"I too," said Claire. 



"Is that true?" Jules asked, in his turn. 



"True. You know well I only tell you true sto- 

 ries. There are rains of blood and sulphur, at least 

 in appearance. It is proved that showers have been 

 seen of which the drops left on the walls, roads, 

 leaves of the trees, and clothes of passers-by, are red 

 spots like blood. At other times, with the rain, there 

 has fallen from the sky a fine dust, of a beautiful 

 yellow, resembling sulphur. Did it really rain blood, 

 sulphur? No. This so-called rain of blood or 

 sulphur, causing foolish alarms, is ordinary rain 

 stained with various sorts of dust raised from the 

 ground by the wind. In the spring when, in moun- 

 tainous countries, immense forests of fir-trees are 

 in blossom, every breath of wind carries clouds of 

 a fine yellow dust contained in the little flowers 

 of the fir-tree. You can see a similar dust in all 

 flowers, especially the lily." 



