346 THE UNIVERSE. 



phenomenon, which is explained now-a-days in a very 

 rational manner. 



These showers of frogs must have been common enough 

 in ancient Greece, seeing that Aristotle gives them a par- 

 ticular name. Alluding to the prevailing idea of his time, 

 which supposed them to come from heaven, he called them 

 messengers of Jupiter. 



Two carefully observed instances in modem times have 

 especially wrought conviction among the learned. 



The first was attested by a whole company of our 

 soldiers, who, during the revolution, were on a march 

 towards the north of France. In the open country they 

 were assailed by a shower of little toads which were 

 dashed in their faces, falling with torrents of water. As- 

 tonished at such an unwonted attack, and desirous of 

 satisf3dng themselves as to Avhether this living shower 

 came from above, the soldiers spread out their handker- 

 chiefs on a level with their heads, and found they were 

 covered directly. After the storm, the astonishment was 

 general when the soldiers saw this "unexpected brood 

 leaping about in the folds of their cocked hats. 



The second well-attested shower of toads fell in 1834, 

 in the town of Ham, when the streets, roofs, and gutters 

 were immediately filled with a great quantity of these 

 young animals. 



As far back as the epoch of the Eenaissance, a cele- 

 brated physician. Cardan, who brought out so many strange 

 hypotheses, nevertheless hit upon the truth in respect to 

 this phenomenon. He supposed that the showers of frogs 

 were to be attributed to water-spouts which carried these 

 animals off from the mountains, and let them fall at some 

 distance, when they burst. Eecently, Avhen this pheno- 

 menon gave rise to such great discussion in the Academv 



