RAIN AND SNOW 



101 



into the snow regions of the air, and inat pre- 

 cipitation falling from it in the shape of snow 

 gathers bulk to itself in descending until, pass- 

 ing through the rain region, it adds an outer coat 

 of ice. The hail-stone certainly falls a long dis- 

 tance, as we may know from its striking power, 

 but whence it falls, and just hoiv it is formed, the 

 meteorologists have not yet definitely told us. 



The hail-stone is usually not larger than a 

 cherry, though in description it is sometimes 

 " as large as a hen's egg ; " and it has been seen 

 as large as a good-sized apple, but not in the 

 temperate zones. It is elastic, and the bounce 

 of hail from the walk or lawn is a commonly 

 observed fact. Sometimes with wind it drives 

 diagonally to the earth, but more frequently it 

 falls like the heavy drops of the thunder- 

 shower. Usually there is nothing marked 

 about its color. It is lighter in tone than rain, 

 and when falling through the air shows blue- 

 white. At times a very beautiful effect is pro- 

 duced during sun-showers by the sun's rays 

 flashing npon the stones as they fall. They 

 are then dazzling opal-white, and quite dif- 

 ferent from the rain-drops, which fall through 

 sunlight like glittering diamonds. Occasional- 

 ly one may see a hail-storm turned into some- 



