ON A WHIRLWIND AT BLOXWORTH. 77 



and width, until at about four yards' distance the whole had 

 subsided. The whole performance took no more than two minutes, 

 if as much. The cause of these rotatory winds is not, I believe, 

 known ; but whatever it may be, we may fairly, I think, conclude 

 that it is, in degree, the same as the cause of those whirlwinds 

 which are of much greater extent and often do great damage in 

 their course. They are of comparatively rare occurrence in this 

 country, but are sometimes noteworthy as presenting many features 

 in common with those of enormous extent and resulting in great 

 destruction, which occur in tropical regions. 



The one on which I propose to offer a few remarks to-day is one of 

 a kind of which we do occasionally hear in this country ; but it has 

 an especial interest in the present instance because its path from 

 beginning to end is so plainly traceable, and its eifects not only dis- 

 astrous but in some points curious. This whirlwind took place just at 

 the culminating point of a strong south-westerly gale, on the 10th 

 of November last (1895). The wind rose rapidly during the day, 

 veering from S. to S.W., and continued to blow heavily with 

 heavy rain all the evening ; the barometer fell during the 

 day very nearly three-fourths of an inch, and reached its lowest 

 point (29 inches) near midnight. At just a quarter of an hour 

 later, above the normal noise of the gale I heard a rushing sound 

 as of many heavy goods trains approaching; it roared by, and 

 in five minutes had quite passed away. The gale itself almost 

 immediately slackened, and in half-an-hour or so all was still and 

 quiet. On going, the next morning, into my orchard, I was little 

 prepared for the scene of devastation that presented itself; half 

 the orchard, comprising an area of 2J acres, was as complete a 

 wreck as a dozen or score of men could have made of it in a 

 week's work. Almost every tree was uprooted, some lying one 

 way, some another ; and looking along the line of destruction, 

 each way, the timber (mostly oak) presented a somewhat similar 

 wreck. Some trees were snapped off at the middle of the trunk, 

 others (and those most numerous) with almost every limb torn off, 

 twisted and hurled about in every direction. As soon as I could I 



