Photobtt'] [ir. A. licntltr!'. 



SNOW CRYSTAL. 



Here the spaces between the six rays have 

 been filled up. and — 



Marvels of the Universe 



a\-erage of about 

 eight}- in a year, 

 and this fact, taken 

 in conjunction with 

 what we ha^-e just 

 said, will give some 

 little idea of the 

 time that has been 

 devoted to this la- 

 bour of love. The 

 crystals are caught 

 on a black recei\'- 

 ing-board, and it 

 requires very care- 

 ful examination to 

 detect the perfect 

 ones. 



205 



Phiilobii} [l|-. A. JJeiilleii. 



SNOW CRYSTAL. 



— a complete six-sided figure is the result. Here 

 si.x intermediate rays have been formed. 



These may, as has been indicated, be very few and far between, and aftei' a whole day has been 

 spent in the search only one or two good examples may have been secured, for a great many of them 

 come into collision and get broken, or thev are merged together and therefore spoilt. Those who 

 are photographers \nll know the many adjustments that have to be made in the case of ordinary 

 objects of which a picture has to be obtained, but if the microscope lens has to be brought into 

 plaj' difficulties will be greater, and when it is remembered that the snow crystals are tiny ephemeral 

 things that may melt awa}- in a moment, it will be recognized that the whole process has to be 



carried out 



It is true that there may be more excitement, as there is the danger 



of losing some treasure before its form has been recorded, but the strain on the worker will be 

 ine\'itably the greater. 



Practically speaking, no two crj'stals are quite alike. Water, as is well known, may be obtained 

 in six-sided prismatic cry-stals, and snow consists of beautiful stellate groupings of such crystals, 

 while the six-sided arrangement always appears, and it is truly wonderful that so many changes 

 can be rung upon this plan. The crj'stals may be like flowers, like wheels, like studs ; but there 

 are always six branches. They lend themselves excellently to photo-micrography, because their 



growth takes place 

 to a great extent 

 in one plane, and 

 they are them- 

 selves no thicker 

 than a piece of 

 thin paper. Mr. 

 Bentley's photo- 

 graphs, which are 

 reproduced here, 

 will show better 

 than W'ords can 

 describe, the full 

 beauty of form 

 which is to be met 

 with. It is interest- 

 ing to note that if 



P/loto hlj] 



[If. .•). Ilenlleii. 

 SNOW CRYSTAL. 



These two lower figures have followed- 



I'holo by'] 



[11'. A. ISeidleu. 

 SNOW CRYSTAL. 



-much the same lines as the upper ones. 



