252 CASES OF LIGHTNING DLSCHARGE. 



same observer. In this case two trees (Erythrina and Detarium) 

 appeared to have been struck simultaneouslj r . Though the da- 

 mage apparent was very slight and confined to the bark, decay 

 began in the Erythrina within ten days. Another Erythrina ad- 

 joining died soon after, but the Detarium was unhurt. Another 

 example occurred on Government Hill, when a sugar palm was 

 struck (May 2nd, 1899). The writer saw the tree two hours 

 afterwards and obtained the following account from a native 

 eye-witness. " About half past one there was a single peal of 

 thunder, T'ery near, but I saw no flash, only a general glare. 

 Less than one minute afterwards smoke came from the tree 

 and then flames, about half way up the trunk. The fire went 

 up very quickly and I ordered the tree to be cut down." 

 When the writer saw the tree, the fibrous material which covers 

 these palms was still smouldering, but the closest examination 

 failed to reveal any traces of damage other than that caused by 

 fire, and the surrounding trees were quite unhurt. Three months 

 afterwards, however, the similar palms in a radius of twelve or 

 fifteen feet from that struck were completely dead. 



A remarkable point in this instance is that although the 

 palm struck was over sixty feet in height, and surrounded by 

 others even taller, the flash should have struck it in the middle. 

 Mr. Ridley has noted a similar case in which an explosion took 

 place in the fork of a Rambutan tree only six feet above the 

 ground between the base of the fork and a birds-nest fern, and 

 set fire to the roots of the fern. There was no damage done to 

 this tree except from burns, but a chicken at its tase was killed. 



The first of the following accounts, furnished by Mr. A. 

 Knight, is of particular interest, as the phenomena noted were of 

 an unusual kind and did not occur during a storm. Mr. Knight 

 writes: — " On the 12th September, 1898, I was driving home 

 from town, and when in the lower part of River Valley Road I 

 saw a flash in front, and there was a loud report which made my 

 pony start forward. On reaching my house, Grassdale, I found 

 that the ladies of my household had been much startled by the 

 explosion. Two of them had been near the entrance, standing 

 facing towards town, while two others were walking from the 

 direction of town and were about a third of a mile from the 

 house. To the former two a flame-coloured flash seemed to fall 



