On Water-Spouts. 251 



I have collected the chief features for my description of the 

 phenomenon, from numerous scattered descriptions, for which we 

 are indebted to observers in different ages and in different quar- 

 ters of the globe ; and I venture to hope that the combination of 

 facts thus elicited will keep us free from many errors, in which 

 most of those have been involved, who have hitheto endeavored 

 to explain water-spouts. It is quite possible that I may have 

 overlooked circumstances which would tend to explain the sub- 

 ject, or that I may have misunderstood some of the facts con- 

 tained in the descriptions ; but this can easily be remedied by the 

 obliging communications of others, whenever we possess a gen- 

 eral analysis of the facts. 



General Nature of Water Spouts. — The water-spout is a 

 strongly agitated mass of air, which moves over the surface of 

 the earth, and revolves on an axis, of which one extremity is on 

 the earth and the other in a cloud. From this cloud a continua- 

 tion proceeds downwards, which forms the upper portion of the 

 water-spout ; while the lower portion, besides air, consists some- 

 times of water, som.etimes of solid portions, according as the 

 water-spout passes over land or over water. Some have sep- 

 arated water-spouts over the land and over the water from 

 each other, but this creates confusion, for water-spouts have 

 been observed which were formed over water and advance over 

 land; and wee vet^sa we have accounts of water-spouts which 

 were formed over land, and afterwards were suspended over the 

 surface of water. They have also been seen cutting right across 

 a river, and then continuing their course over the land ; or cross- 

 ing straight over an island, and then proceeding over the sea. The 

 hitherto generally employed term wasserhose (water-spout) seems 

 to me to be not altogether a correct one, and I have therefore made 

 use of the less common one " wetter s'dule'^ (literally storm-pillar,) 

 although perhaps the name wirbelsdule (whirl-pillar) or luftwirbel 

 (whirlwind, air-whirl or vortex) might be equally appropriate. 



Form of the Water-Spout. — The uppermost portion is almost 

 always wider above than below ; and has sometimes the form of 

 an inverted cone, sometimes of a funnel, and sometimes of a 

 somewhat twisted horn. The middle portion is commonly much 

 narrower, is frequently bent, and sometimes exhibits opposite sin- 

 uosities. The lower portion is apparently much widened, but 

 probably only apparently so, owing to the portions of water and 



