74 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



pour; and the aberrant and confused movement of each indi- 

 vidual bird was an interesting exhibit of hesitancy and com- 

 plete bewilderment of the ornithic group, 3'et in a few seconds, 

 as the cause of alarm subsided, the party were seen to reform 

 and the ties of affinity reasserted themselves. It is also af- 

 firmed by persons who have had experience on those lines 

 that droves of semi-wild cattle that pasture in the forest avoid 

 concentrating their numbers when trees or tree branches are 

 being blown down by violent winds or sudden tornadoes. In 

 fact, at such times the bovine tribe can be observed to seek 

 safety by deserting the bush territory, if possible, and keeping 

 together in the open or clearings. Many curious incidents 

 where danger or injury to human being was incurred by light- 

 ■ning in this district could be narrated, and we may here be 

 excused for giving several such. Two young women, farm- 

 ers' daughters of the neighborhood, went to gather raspber- 

 ries to a place a mile or tw^o distant from their home. In a 

 short time after the girls had begun fruit picking a brisk- 

 thunder storm came on and they hastened to seek shelter in 

 the adjoining- w^oods. The rain soon descended in torrents, 

 and as they cowered under the wide-spreading lower branches 

 of the undergrowth saphngs a lightning flash struck a large 

 maple tree that grew ten or twelve feet from the position oc- 

 cupied by the girls, who were for a few moments almost ren- 

 dered unconscious by fright. They afterwards described their 

 situation as being apparently encircled by a small roaring il- 

 luminated whirlwind, which caused the dry forest leaves on 

 the ground near to their feet and also the foliage just over 

 their heads to twist and whirl in violent commotion, almost 

 causing suffocation for several moments. The parties, on re- 

 covering presence of mind, ran through the drenching raia 

 to the nearest dwelling, about a quarter of a mile distant, 

 where the writer of this happened to be at the time, and as 

 soon as the storm had quite passed away (on being requested 

 to do so) one of the girls kindly returned with him to see wdiat 

 permanent marks might have been caused by the electric 

 discharge at the danger spot. With the exception of a 



