3o8 



LIGHT, HEAT, 



Sect. XIII. 2. 2. 



which remains frozen, and thence carries away lefs from the land 



into the rivers ; whence a fnow flood may be diftinguifhed from a 

 rain flood by the tranfparency of the water. 



Secondly, Snow proteds vegetables from the feverity of the frofl; 

 flnce it is generally in a flate of thaw, where it is in contaft with the 



earth ; 



32 







as the earth's heat is 48 degrees, and that of thawing fnow is 

 The plants between them are generally kept in a degree of 



heat about 40, by which many of them are preferved. On th 



fom 



Upfal 



from Siberia were faid to perifli 



frofts 



becaufe the fnows did not commence at the fame time 



the colder climate, from which they were brough 



Th 



th 



ch 



i3 



ferinns, coral-mbfs, vegetates beneath th 



fnow in Siberia, where the degree of heat is always about 40 ; th 



th 



th 



e middle between the freezing 



point 



d th 



mon heat of 



e 



th 



And as this vegetable is for many months of 



the fole food of th 



it; 



d 



deer, who digs furrows in the fnow to find 



f this animal is almoft the only fuf- 



the milk and flefh 



hich can be procured by the natives d 



of thofe higher latitudes, this mofs may be faid to fupport fome 



lions of mankind 



S 



• 



prote£ls vegetables, th 



a 



d by it, from cold, both 



becaufe it is a bad condudor of heat itfelf, and contains much 



pores 



h 



When living animals are buried in fnbw, as fheep 



or 



3, the water, which their warmth produ 



r 



the furrounding fnow by capillary attra£l: 

 lot moifl:ened by its dropping on them ; 



the fnow diflx)l 



:es, becomes 



on, and the 



but the cavity 



bforbed 



& 



ffording them both a dry and a warm hab 



tion. If this was generally known, many cold and weary travellers 

 in fnowy nights might be faved by covering themfelves with fnow 

 inftead of endeavouring to proceed. 



It fhould be added that Halfenfratz has endeavoured to fliew by 



chemical experiments, th 



water and fnow 



4 



both 



