98 ON A SMALL CAPILLABY WAVE 



from the canoe, beyond which, it became fragmentary, and disap- 

 peared. If the speed increased suddenly, the wave disappeared, and 

 the slightest ripple on the surface obliterated it at once. But if the 

 wind freshened very gradually, the wave approached nearer and 

 nearer, becoming more strongly defined and more elevated above the 

 surface, and it could still be seen under the lee of the canoe, and at a 

 distance of eight or nine inches from it, after the breeze had increased 

 so as to make a strong ripple on the water outside. If the speed 

 grew still greater, it became first obscured, and finally destroyed, 

 by waves of an entirely different character,. — viz., the ripple caused 

 by the canoe itself, — which it is remarkable did not make their ap- 

 pearance in contact with the canoe, but first broke out on the 

 farther side of the capillary wave. 



But my attention was principally attracted to the effect which 

 was produced upon the little particles floating near the surface. 

 The opportunity was a good one for observation, for, being in the 

 vicinity of a marsh, the water was very impure, and a bright sun- 

 shine enabled me to see the motes at a considerable distance. Light 

 bodies resting on the water without being wetted, as a feather or 

 thistle down, seemed hardly at all affected, except by a slight mo- 

 tion as the wave passed under them ; and larger particles, which 

 reached to a depth of perhaps an eighth of an inch, passed it with- 

 out any disturbance. But smaller ones, floating close to the surface, 

 were violently agitated as the wave reached them, and though they 

 passed a little beyond it, their apparent motion towards the canoe 

 was retarded and finally stopped, at distances from the wave depend- 

 ing upon their respective sizes, the larger ones penetrating the far- 

 thest. The interval between the wave and the canoe became thus 

 soon filled with small objects, very regularly sorted according to 

 their sizes, the larger, however, being proportionally much closer 

 together than the smaller ones. If the wind now freshened the 

 wave approached nearer to the canoe, and all the particles were 

 driven in with it, but the smaller ones were much more affected 

 than the larger. If the wind again slackened the wave receded, 

 leaving the particles where they were, and fresh ones were col- 

 lected in the vacant space, so that, after a few alterations of 

 speed, the regular assortment according to size was soon inter- 

 fered with, and a miscellaneous scum was pushed on before the canoe, 

 comprising floating matter of all sizes, up to an eighth of an inch or 

 more in. depth ; for it must be observed, that although objects of 

 that size passed under the wave without disturbance, and penetrated 



