'276 WINTER OF 1784-5 



they floated, or were they evaporations from the snow frozen 

 as they mounted ?* 



We were much obliged to the thermometers for the early 

 information they gave us, and hurried our apples, pears, onions, 

 potatoes, &c. into the cellar and warm closets : while those 

 who had not, or neglected such warnings, lost all their stores of 

 roots and fruits, and had their very bread and cheese frozen. 



I must not omit to tell you, that, during those two Siberian 

 days, my parlour cat was so electric, that had a person stroked 

 her, and been properly insulated, the shock might have been 

 given to a whole circle of people, f 



* We can account for this phenomenon only by the supposition, that 

 these spiculse were formed by a thin stratum of vapour passing through 

 the higher regions of the atmosphere; and that they were not dense 

 enough to have the ordinary appearance of snow. We know that snow 

 itself is crystallized vapour, and the distinctness and forms of these crystals 

 will be in proportion to the intensity of the cold at the time. The 

 ordinary cold in this country is seldom such as to produce these, and the 

 snow has usually a flaky appearance. Captain Scoresby mentions having 

 frequently seen snow in a highly crystallized state in the Arctic Regions. 

 In this country there are occasional showers of highly crystallized snow. 

 On the 4th of February, 1830, a fall of this kind was noticed at Cam- 

 bridge, the thermometer then standing at about twenty-two degrees, and 

 the wind from the east-north-east. Nearly all the snow which fell was 

 of that beautiful stellated form called by Captain Scoresby the " lamellar 

 stelliform crystals." They consisted chiefly of six points, radiating from 

 a centre, forming with each other, at that centre, angles of sixty degrees, 

 and having commonly additional ramifications on the primary ones, in 

 the same plane with them, and forming angles of sixty degrees with the 

 primaries. These, however, consisted of great variety in their arrange- 

 ment. Some were regular in all their parts, while others were quite 

 eccentric. Some of these were fashioned by the obliteration of the 

 alternate rays, so as to form angles of one hundred and twenty, instead 

 of one hundred and sixty, degrees ; the additional ramifications still 

 forming angles of sixty degrees with the primaries. The size of these 

 crystals varied from one-eighth to one-third of an inch in diameter. 

 Scoresby says, that the time when the greatest quantity of crystals fell in 

 the Arctic Seas, was when the thermometer stood between sixteen and 

 twenty-two degrees, and the wind was north-east or north-north-east, 

 which corresponded with what was observed at Cambridge. ED. 



* Some animals have the voluntary power of communicating electricity, 

 The torpedo, and electric eel, may be mentioned as well known instances. 

 in the Magazine of Natural History, a correspondent mentions having 

 received several shocks from a caterpillar of the cerura vinula, or puss- 

 moth. These he found on a young poplar. He says, " The cerura 

 shewed decided symptoms of irritation, which particularly drew my atten- 

 tion. It began to contract its body, drawing itself closely together, and, 

 by degrees, elevated and extended its bifurcated tail. There were slowly 

 protruded from out of the points bright red filaments, and irregularly 

 bent to one side. In a short time I felt a sudden tingle along my arms, 



