354 INSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. 



incomprehensible power in white snow of producing a 

 colour.* 



Reaumur says, with much justice, on another oc- 

 casion, that an ordinary spectator frequently discovers 

 what has escaped the notice of the best observers, 

 and so it should seem it has happened in the present 

 case, — the learned naturalists just mentioned having 

 gone as wide of the facts, as the philosophers at Aix 

 in accounting for the supposed shower of blood. Mr 

 Thomas Nicholson, accompanied with two other gen- 

 tlemen, made an excursion the 24th July, 1821, to 

 Sowallick Point, near Busliman's Island, in Prince Re- 

 gent's Bay, in quest of meteoric iron. ' The summit 

 of the hill,' he says, 'forming the point, is covered with 

 huge masses of granite, whilst the side which forms a 

 gentle declivity towards the bay was covered with crim- 

 son snow. It was evident, at first view, that this co- 

 lour was imparted to the snow by a substance lying on 

 the surface. This substance lay scattered here and 

 there in small masses, bearing some resemblance to 

 powdered cochineal, surrounded by a lighter shade, 

 which was produced by the colouring matter being 

 partly dissolved and diffused by the deliquescent snow. 

 During this examination our hats and upper garments 

 were observed to be daubed with a substance of a simi- 

 lar red colour, and a moment's reflection convinced us 

 that this was the excrement of the little auk ( Uria alle, 

 Temminck), myriads of which were continually flying 

 over our heads, having their nests among the loose 

 masses of granite. A ready explanation of the origin 

 of the red snow was now presented to us, and not a 

 doubt remained in the mind of any that this was the 

 correct one. The snow on the mountains of higher 

 elevation than the nests of these birds was perfectly 

 white, and a ravine at a short distance, which was filled 

 with snow from top to bottom, but which afforded no 



* Loudon's Encycl of Plants, Protococcus 



