282 Snoiv Crystals. 



being now more needles, and feathers of ice in bundles, and 

 amongst these were entangled one or more crystals, an example 

 of which is represented in Fig. 5. 



At 12h. 15m. small circular and conical opaque hailstones 

 fell (Fig. 6 a and Fig. 6 /3 ), which soon became very abundant, 

 and were mingled with a few transparent bars of ice, Fig 6 S. 



Atl2h. 35m. these hailstones were granulated,and had a double 

 hexagonal form (Fig. 6 7), which, when pressed with a hard pencil, 



broke into fragments, each 

 fragment resembling the 

 hailstone, Fig. 6 ft, the 

 pointed ends being in the 

 centre of the hailstones, and 

 the broad ends on the cir- 

 cumference. At 12h. 40m. 

 p.m. the snow-storm ceased, after having given so great a 

 diversity of form and size. 



To Mr. Glaisher we are indebted for many figures of re- 

 markable snow crystals, which he has published in the 

 Transactions of the British Meteorological Society. To Sir John 

 Herschel we are also indebted for the plate in the new edition 

 of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Two plates of my own sketch- 

 ing may also be found in the Magazine of Natural Philosophy , 

 and recently (January 3rd) I had the gratification of observing 

 hexagonal crystals of hail, an account of which will be found in 

 the Transactions of the British Meteorological Society. 



Snow crystals always contain six similar branches or sides, 

 as the water crystallizes in hexagonals. These branches are 

 not exactly alike, differing from each other as leaves on the 

 same tree, yet bearing so strong a resemblance to one another, 

 that if it were possible to separate the branches from a number 

 of crystals, and mix them together, it would very readily be 

 ascertained (through a microscope) which branches belonged 

 to each crystal. 



The severe winter of 1855 was peculiarly rich in exquisite 

 snow crystals, especially on the 22nd, 23rd, and 26th of January, 

 on tho 3rd, 6th, and 12th of February, and on the 11th and 

 22nd of March. 



It is not uncommon to see two or more crystals frozen 

 together; and occasionally a shower will come on, in which 

 the crystals arc broken up and mutilated, remnants of crystals 

 being found amongst the snow-flakes. 



The large woolly-like snow-flake which speedily covers the 

 ground is not the kind of shower in which to see snow-crystals ; 

 these large flakes usually fall at a temperature scarcely below 

 the freezing point ; as the cold increases, the size of the snow- 

 flakes decrease, and usually, if snow falls from 26° to 30°, 



