10 



KNowij.nci:. 



j\MM<v. loi:. 



an I'xccss of trlrctricity rnllcrtiiij,' at tlir main asial 



points, anil actually do nioi)it-ntai'il\' inricasc tlic 



inimluT of attrartivi- polar or axial points n|)on tlnni. 

 It is pri'sunu'd that crystals, forminj^ within a 



scantily clcctrilicil solvent, ac(|iiirc- 



I'NCi.-ss I'harj^cs at their axial i)oints. 



orclscwhcrr, only at rare intervals, or 



not at all. I'nder these conditions 



hut few or no new and secondar\- axial 



points would he estahlished upon 



them. The crystals would, under 



these conditions, {jrow mainly from 



their primary axial directions alone. 



or from such secondary charges as 



mif;ht collect upon them, and hence 



in an open raved. or hranching form, or 



in the shape of lon;^ slender spiculae. 



Crystals forming in a highK' electrified Fici 



solvent would likely ac(|uire many 



additional charges from the indrawn molecules of the 



solute, and hecome completelv, or more ncarlw 



charged over their whole exteriors, or at least around 



their edges, rendering all parts niorr ciiualK attiarti\i'. 



This would likely cause 



all [larts to grow in a more 



nearly equal degree, ami 



force the crystals toassume 



more solid close forms. 

 .\mong the more re- 



markahle crystals that 



occur in nature are thosi 



called snow, that form in 



such vast quantities from 



the moisture in solution 



within thegaseous solvent. 



our atmosiihere. Snow I , , 



must he considered as one 



of Nature's most wonderful products, viewed in any 



light ; whether for quantity, frequency of occurrence, 



distribution, place and inanner of origin, or for the 



beautv, comi)lexit\", and marvellous symmetry of its 



crvstals. Snow crvstals are the only crystals that 

 form (in quantit\) from 

 a gaseous solution, i.e. 

 from a solute dissolved 

 in a gas (the air). 



The tenuitv of the 

 solvent, air, within 

 which snow forms, far 

 exceeds that of the 

 other liquid and mag- 

 matic solvents, wherein 

 crystals form. This 

 extreme tenuity of the 

 solvent allows the 

 1 I molecules of water a 



wonderful and unap- 



proached freedom of movement and adjustment 



among themselves while arranging themselves in 



crystal form, which perhaps partly explains why 



thev so greatly excel others in beauty and perfect 



svmmetry. Snow and ice crystals are perhaps the 



only ones that form largely while in motion, i.e.. 

 while drifting about within the s<ilvent. and hence, 

 in the case of the snow, that develop under con- 

 >tantl\ shifting <onditions of temperatures, viscosi 

 ties, and so on. They have a habit 

 of crystallizing largely on thin tabular 

 planes, hardlv thicker than paper, thus 

 exposing their whole structure to view 

 under the microscope, as though 

 ground into sections for this especial 

 purpose. 



These facts, coupled with their 



common occurrence and accessibility 



as objects for stuck', gives them an 



unique place among their fellows, 



and an unrivalled value as objects 



for cPi'stallographic research. It may 



• l.s. well be that we shall learn more 



regarding crvstals from a study of 



them and of their next-f)f-kin, the frost and ice 



crystals, than through all other sources. 



These considerations, and our great love for Nature- 

 >tnil\. led us. wliilc \it in our "teens," to begin a 

 most enthusiastic and 

 comprehensive study of 

 these marvellous crystals. 

 i'liis has been continued 

 i\er since, for now over 

 a quarter of a century. 

 During this time we have 

 secured many thousands 

 of photo-micrographs of 

 the various forms of 

 water, snow, frost, ice, 

 dew, and so on — two 

 , lu thousand of snow crystals 



alone, no two alike. 

 Our location. Jcriciio.N'ermont. U.S.. \.. fortunately, 

 was very favourable, as it lies in the path pursueil In- 

 most of the general storms crossing North America. 

 This doubtless largel\- cx[)lains wh\- the snows of 

 our locality are so \-ery rich in perfect and beautiful 

 snow forms. Winters 

 were found to var\ 

 greath' in jjroduc- 

 tivity. some being 

 much more faxour- 

 able than others. 



Some w inters fui 

 nishcd verv few \x-i- 

 fect crystals, but in 

 general we were able 

 to secure and photo- 

 graph from oni 

 hundred to two 

 hundred perfect 

 forms each year to 

 add to our collection. It is [irobable that 

 favourable winters occur in cycles: but more 

 data, covering a longer period, needs to be 

 collected to make this a certainty. Only one 

 storm in about seven, in our localit\. furnished 



