192 ON A REMARKABLE SHOWER OF HAIL 



many years, seemed (to use the farmer's expression) to have 

 been " absolutely plowed black." 



It may be remarked, that the sudden production of cold, 

 and consequent congelation, had taken place at a considerable 

 elevation in the atmosphere, for, as Mr Caithness observed, 

 the hailstones must have fallen with great force, since many 

 of those which fell first were sunk in the corn-fields from three 

 to four inches deep ; and even in the firm old pastures, each 

 of the first-fallen hailstones had made a hole in the sward 

 exactly of its own size and shape, to the depth generally of 

 about two inches. In some of these holes the balls of ice lay 

 unmelted, long after the others had disappeared. Mr Taylor 

 says, that the surface of the ground all around his house 

 was every where perforated as with the " broad point of a 

 " country man's staff;" and it retained this appearance for se- 

 veral days. 



It may further be remarked, that the hailstones had fallen 

 not only from a great height, but, owing to the strength of the 

 wind, at a very considerable angle. Mr Taylor was obliged to 

 flee from one room to another ;n his house, in order to avoid 

 the fragments of glass, which were driven to the farther side 

 of the apartment. In Mr Taylor's bed-room, the wash-hand 

 bason, although standing at some distance from the window, 

 was shivered in pieces by a hailstone. 



As the ice melted away, great numbers of small birds, parti- 

 cularly skylarks, stares or starlings, corn-buntings, and chacks 

 or wheat-ears, were found dead, and were collected " in heaps" 

 by the boys belonging to Caithness's farm. On the shore, 

 near to a point called Torness, were observed numbers of 

 rock-pigeons, hooded crows, ty sties or guillemots, and stock- 

 ducks or mallards, which had been killed at sea by the hail, 

 and were left by the receding tide. Many wounded gulls and 



pkktarneys 



