SHOWERS OF FISH. 495 



Firth of Dingwall. About two years afterwards, in the 

 island of Islay, off the west coast of Argyleshire, the in- 

 habitants were greatly surprised, after a day of violent 

 rain, to discover a large number of herrings, small, per- 

 fectly fresh, some of them even alive, scattered over the 

 fields. It is also on record that, on one occasion, during 

 a strong gale, herrings and other fish were swept from 

 the Firth of Forth as far as Loch Leven, a distance of 

 ten miles. More recently, says Chambers, it was stated 

 in a Wick newspaper that, on a particular morning, a 

 large quantity of herrings were found in a garden about 

 half a mile from the shore at that town. The peasants 

 cooked and ate them ; though the minds of some misgave 

 them as to the possibility of Satanic agency having been 

 concerned in the transmission of the clupeids to such 

 a spot ! 



In 1858, during a night of violent tempest, thousands 

 of fishes, each about four inches in length, fell in the 

 streets of Mkolaisberg in Transylvania. 



How are we to explain these phenomena ? There can 

 be little doubt that the agents producing them are winds, 

 whirlwinds, and waterspouts. It was observed that the 

 shower of herrings at Islay occurred after a day of heavy 

 rain ; and that at Loch Leveii when a furious gale was 

 blowing inland from the Firth of Forth. The incident 

 at Wick was attributed by the more intelligent inhabit- 

 ants to a waterspout ; and at Calcutta the fish-fall was 

 preceded and accompanied by a shower of rain. The 

 results in each case were probably due to the circular or 

 rotatory action of the wind, that action which on a more 

 extensive scale is visible in the cyclone ; which produces 

 on land the whirlwind, and at sea the waterspout. 

 (502; 32 



