RAIN AND SNOW 
101 
into the snow regions of the air, and that pre- 
cipitation falling from it in the shape of snow 
guthers bulk to itself in descending until, pass- 
ing through the rain region, it adds an outer coat 
of ice. The hail-stone certainly falls a long dis- 
tance, as we may know from its striking power, 
but whence it falls, and just how itis formed, the 
meteorologists have not yet definitely told us. 
The hail-stone is usually not larger than a 
cherry, though in description it is sometimes 
“as large as a hen’s egg ;” and it has been seen 
as large as a good-sized apple, but not in the 
temperate zones. It is elastic, and the bounce 
of hailfrom the walk or lawn is a commonly 
observed fact. Sometimes with wind it drives 
diagonally to the earth, but more frequently it 
falls like the heavy drops of the thunder- 
shower. Usually there is nothing marked 
about its color. It is lighter in tone than rain, 
and when falling through the air shows blue- 
white. At times a very beautiful effect is pro- 
duced during sun-showers by the sun’s rays 
flashing upon the stones as they fall. They 
are then dazzling opal-white, and quite dif- 
ferent from the rain-drops, which fall through 
sunlight like glittering diamonds. Occasional- 
ly one may sce a hail-storm turned into some- 
Hail-stones. 
