l62 Snow Balls. 



nislied future Geologists subjects for more interesting spec- 

 ulation. These would have been naturally the more puz- 

 zling that its peculiar mode of transportation would have 

 precluded all chance of its acute angular projections being 

 destroyed by attrition and so would have prevented the pos- 

 sibility of its exhibiting those appearances of its having been 

 rounded and polished, so manifestly displayed, by most of 

 those stones usually denominated boulders. How far the 

 causes which are thus known to have operated in produ- 

 cing the renjoval of this vast fragment may appear totally 

 with the relative situation of similar masses in other places 

 which cannot be so easily traced to their parent rock, or to 

 ascertain whether such means may not have had some share 

 in transporting these to their new situation, may perhaps 

 merit investigation, and with such a view an accurate and 

 well attested narrative of the particulars of the conveyance 

 of the Travelled Stone near Castle Stuart, from its former 

 to its present place of quiescence, cannot be considered as 

 altogether useless in the pursuit of Geology. — J^ide Me- 

 moirs of the Wernerian Society of Edinburgh, Vol. III. p. 

 250. 



Art. XL — Remarkable Balls of Snow, observed at Bruns- 

 wick, Me. April 1st 1815. — By Prof. Cleaveland. 



During most of the day, preceding this phenomenon, $ 

 fine mist continued to fall ; and, in the former part of the 

 night, the wind changed to N. W. accompanied by the fall 

 of nearly two inches of very light snow. On the following 

 morning, in the fields and roads, were to be seen a great 

 number oisnozo 6a//s, varying from one inch to ^/een inches 

 in diameter. When small, their form was nearly spherical ; 

 but the larger. balls were generally somewhat oval, having been 

 rolled a considerable distance in one direction by the wind. 

 Their texture was homogeneous j they were extremely light, 

 and composed of minute prisms of snow irregularly aggrega- 

 ted. When very small, they would hardly bear examination in 

 the hand without falling to pieces ; when larger, they had 

 become more compact. The paths, in which they had roll- 

 ed, were in general distinctly visible. The smaller balls, 



