22 IShoot'mg Stars. 



gether with a trace of sulphate of lime and oxyde of iron. 

 Buchner's mass swelled very much upon being heated, evol- 

 ving a strong animal odor, giving off a smoke of an empy- 

 reumatic smell; at last it took fire, and at the end of the 

 combustion left behind an ashy coal, which contained car- 

 bonate of soda and phosphate of lime. Though Schwabe 

 considers the mass examined by him as similar to Buchner's, 

 I yet believe, that the differences here specified, not merely 

 in the color, but also in the chemical results, present many 

 doubts as to the accuracy of his conclusion, and do not au- 

 thorize us to agree to the identity of both substances. 



In confirmation of these views, I am able to exhibit an in- 

 vestigation of my own, which I had occasion to make dur- 

 ing the last autumn, that may perhaps shed some further 

 light upon the subject. 



A friend and fellow citizen possesses a low meadow in our 

 vicinity. It is situated at the bottom of one of our salt dales, 

 and by much labor, the construction of drains, &c. though 

 it was formerly very boggy, it is now much drier ; and by 

 good cultivation, manure, the rubbish of stone coal, &c. pro- 

 duces good grass. In a walk over this ground, my friend 

 found a gelatinous mass, and a laborer informed him that he 

 had frequently seen similar beautiful specimens ; though 

 neither my friend, nor I, in my botanic excursions over this 

 meadow, with my assistants and pupils, had ever before dis- 

 covered them. My friend brought the substance to me, that 

 I might investigate the nature of the mass, the singular ap- 

 pearance of which had excited his curiosity. 



As soon as I saw the substance, I was reminded of Buch- 

 ner's treatise upon the article called shooting star {stern- 

 schmippen ;) but by a closer inspection of its beautiful exte- 

 rior, I discovered some diversities from Buchner's descrip- 

 tion, which determined me to give it a further investigation. 



The mass was of a very clear white color, and appeared 

 to be a very glutinous substance, which Buchner has very 

 aptly compared to mucilage of tragacanth ; it was of the 

 size of about two cubic inches and a half. Upon minute in- 

 spection, it was found in many places to be enclosed with a 

 very thin white pellicle or membrane, which in the middle 

 parts of it was burst or torn. In these places, the contents, 

 as if they were too large, projected through the covering. 

 The fissures of the enveloping pellicle were, without doubt. 



