THE EFFECTS OF A FLASH OF LIGHTNING. 77 



was also abraded here and there (as if beaten with a hammer) on 

 the north-east side. There was no splintering of the wood nor 

 fraying of the edges of the bark in this tree. Between this tree 

 and the next (No. 5) four yards of the ground was irregularly 

 furrowed and torn up, much as if a pig had been rooting it, in zig- 

 zag directions, but with no apparent connection of the furrowing 

 with the trees (PI. IV. a). No. 5. A small tree about lain, in 

 diameter and directly under, but the trunk six feet away from, 

 that of No. 6, which is a much larger tree, at least 2ft. 6in. in 

 diameter and about soft. high. The same stroke had evidently 

 struck both these trees. The first trace is on No. 6, on the 

 north side at about 3oft. from the ground on no special point, 

 but along the face of the limb (PI. V., Fig. 6 e), which is there 

 about six inches in diameter. About twelve feet (downwards) of 

 this limb is deeply furrowed and scored in a sinuous direction, 

 the bark and wood being driven off and outwards, as well as torn 

 and shredded to more than an inch in depth. The current here 

 evidently abruptly stopped (PI. V., Fig. 6 e) and leapt to the next 

 point, where any effect is visible, that is at a distance of seven 

 feet downwards in a sloping direction at the top of a small dead 

 branch of No. 5 (PI. V., Fig. 5 d). This small branch was much 

 split and splintered to its junction with the main body of the tree, 

 along which and thence to the ground was a continuous, torn, deep 

 groove or splintered furrow reaching to the ground. The bark 

 and edges of the groove were torn into threads, and a broad piece 

 of bark, three or four inches wide and six feet long, thrown off. 

 The passage of the current, into the ground was down and over a 

 spur-root of the tree, and there was a hole in the earth at its base. 

 Portions of bark and splinters from both these trees and also 

 from the next were cast off to a considerable distance. No. 7. 

 An oak, about 2ft. in diameter at its base, struck about the middle 

 of the upper part on a small dead, cross, horizontal branch (PI. 

 VI., Fig. 7 b), only tearing off the bark to a small extent; thence 

 the current evidently jumped downwards a little too near the 

 extremity of a rather larger branch, a live one, about the size of 



