2O 



SCIENTIFIC RECREATIONS. 



of observation, too, may be everywhere exercised even in towns, where 

 Nature still asserts herself ; as, for example, in displays of meteorological 

 phenomena. We will give an example of such. 



The extraordinary abundance of snow which fell in Paris for more than 

 ten consecutive hours, commencing on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 

 22nd, 1880, will always be looked upon as memorable among the meteoro- 

 logical events of the city of Paris. It was stated that in the centre of Paris, 

 the thickness of the snow that had fallen at different times exceeded four- 

 teen inches. The snow had been preceded by a fall of small transparent 



Fig. 13. Icicles on gas lamp. 



icicles, of rather more than a millemetre in diameter, some having crystalline 

 facets. They formed on the surface of the ground a very slippery glazed 

 frost. On the evening of the 22nd January, flakes of snow began to 

 hover in the atmosphere like voluminous masses of wool. The greater part 

 of the gas-lamps were ornamented by frozen stalactites, which continually 

 attracted the attention of passers-by. The formation of these stalactites, of 

 which we give a specimen (fig. 1 3), is easy of explanation. The snow falling 

 on the glass of the lamp became heated by the flame of gas, melted, and 

 trickled down, freezing anew into the shape of a stalactite below the lamp, 

 at a temperature of o centigrade. Not only can meteorology be studied 

 in towns, but certain other branches of natural science entomology, for 



