1 92 HIDDEN BEAUTIES OF NATURE 



A comparison of the specific gravity of the two, ice 

 and snow, leads us to think there is a great difference 

 between them ; but, as a parallelism, gold appears -to 

 be much heavier than gold leaf, whereas the latter is 

 but the result obtained by hammering out the solid 

 gold until it becomes so light that it floats about on 

 the breeze, as does the snow. 



If we take a microscope out of doors during a 

 snow shower, and place an umbrella over it, we may 

 catch a falling flake upon a glass slip, and as we have 

 it under examination in a uniform temperature equal 

 to that of the surrounding air, we shall be able to 

 study the flake for some time, and to repeat the 

 experiment with many other flakes. It is just possible 

 that we may not find two crystals alike. In fact, we 

 may hit upon some forms of crystals which have 

 never been seen by any other observer, for there is no 

 end to the variety of forms which a drop of water 

 may assume in its passage from the clouds through 

 several strata of cold air. The accurate regularity 

 which characterises every crystal is bound to command 

 attention. Although this power to take on special 

 shapes is not growth from within, nor yet life, such as 

 is possessed by plants and animals, yet there is 

 something about this power which is mysterious and 

 most impressive. The accretions arrange themselves 

 into well-defined shapes, or rather, are controlled by 

 unerring laws, so that they cannot coalesce in 

 haphazard fashion, but are so ruled that the sum 

 total of the crystallising power produces beautiful 



