WATERSPOUTS THEIR APPEARANCE. 117 



" We experienced a shock of earthquake here on 

 the 16th February last. Its duration was about 

 two minutes. Although it caused no damage, its 

 undulatory motion was sufficiently strong to affect 

 certain persons with a sensation akin to sea-sickness. 

 It was followed by rain in torrents, on the 20th, 

 21st, and 22nd. On the latter day especially, we 

 were, for half an hour, surrounded with water to a 

 considerable depth. We could not see three yards 

 before us. When the sun came out again, I saw a 

 number of Malays and Chinese filling their baskets 

 with fish contained in the pools formed by the rain. 



" They told me the fish had l fallen from heaven;' 

 and three days later, when the pools were all dried 



up, there were still many dead fish lying about 



As they lay in my court-yard, which is surrounded 

 by a wall, they could not have been brought in by 

 the overflowing of a torrent ; indeed, there is none 

 of any considerable size in the neighbourhood. 



" The space covered by these fish might be about 

 fifty acres, comprising the eastern part of the town. 

 They were very lively, and seemed to be in good 

 health." 



The writer of the above suggests, with some 

 degree of hesitation, that these fish were sucked up 

 by waterspouts. We think that there need be no 

 hesitation in the matter ! 



The appearance usually presented by a water- 

 spout is that of a column of aqueous vapour reach- 

 ing from the sea to the clouds, sometimes straight, 



