' from particles of dust or water-droplets. 
4 SCIENCE. 
would seem well-nigh incredible that the upper cur- 
rents and the power of suspension of the ashes could 
have combined in carrying the particles 11,000 miles. 
Common cloud-coloring is caused by diffraction 
Light of 
different wave-lengths has a greater or less power of 
passing through dust, smoke, water-droplets, ice- 
spiculae, etc. It is stated that the light at the blue 
end of the spectrum has less power of penetration | 
than at the red end: hence the light is sifted out, as 
it were; and the blue disappears first, then the orange, 
and, last of all, the red (Scott’s ‘ Meteorology,’ p. 205). 
Why may it not be possible that the blue, having the 
greater refrangibility, is refracted to such an extent 
as to be intercepted by the earth long before the red 
has disappeared? ‘Taking into account the great 
abundance of moisture, the appearance of ice-spiculae 
(which, however, may have been volcanic ashes), and 
the fact of the appearance being precisely similar to 
‘that ordinarily seen upon clouds, there is no neces- 
sity of resorting to the at best doubtful theory of the 
volcanic origin of the phenomenon. 
The similarity between the ordinary sunset and this 
phenomenon was finely illustrated one evening by 
a magnificent red-cloud sunset, manifestly caused 
by clouds comparatively near the observer. These 
clouds, gradually fading away, were followed by the 
deeper red so prominently noticed recently, and evi- 
dently produced by ice-spiculae at a great distance. 
G,- A. WN 
On the evening of Dec. 22 ared glow was noticed 
upon the clouds which overspread the whole heaven. 
On the 23d the cloudiness was complete, and even 
denser than on the previous evening; but the glow 
tinged the whole visible vault down to the eastern ho- 
rizon, and continued for at least an hour after gunset, 
fading first in the east. On the 24th the clouds were 
slightly broken. Before 5 p.m. (standard time) a yel- 
lowish tinge began to be apparent. At 5.10 the color 
was reddish, and reached the horizon on all sides. 
At 5.20 the color was a deeper red, with clouds more 
broken. At 5.30 the clouds were thin, and showed 
faint but distinct blood-red color on the eastern hori- 
zon, though a little brighter in the west. At 5.40 the 
cloudiness was reduced to a partial thin film, but a 
dusky redness was still perceptible in all parts of the 
sky. At 5.55 the sky was everywhere thinly veiled, 
but a dark ruddy tint could still be faintly seen all 
around the horizon. At 6.10 the sky was mostly 
cloudless, though few stars were visible. A dark-red 
glow could be discerned in all parts of the heavens, 
and in the west it rose in broad, ill-defined bands 
from the position of the sun. At 6.20 no clouds, but 
only stars of first three or four magnitudes were vis- 
ible. At first no ruddiness was seen, but shortly it 
became unmistakably apparent. It was a faint 
dusky red still obscurely barred in the west. This 
glow lasted two hours and eight minutes after sunset: 
atmosphere calm; thermometer sinking from 28° to 
25° F. The observations possess interest in connec- 
tion with similar ones recently made in various ‘parts 
of the world.: ALEXANDER WINCHELL. 
Ann Arbor, Dec. 25, 1883. 
Plant distribution in Lower California. 
‘I would call attention to the fact, that many Ari- 
zonian, New Mexican, and Mexican species of plants, 
together with more northern species, are found on 
the narrow strip of tablelands in northern Lower 
California. 
Emoryi and Q. pungens, Astragalus Sonorae, Fouqui- 
era splendens,. and many. others, with,» Geranium * 
Among them I may mention Quercus - 
caespitosum of the Rocky Mountains, Ivesia Baileyt 
of Nevada, Galium pubens, Quercus agrifolia, the 
common Pteris, Aquilegia truncata, and a number of 
introduced (?) species well known throughout the 
United States. CHARLES R. ORCUTT. 
San Diego, Cal., Dec. 15. 
Kames near Lansing, Mich. 
A few years since, I spent one or two days at Mason, 
some ten miles south of Lansing, Mich. Ihad hoped 
to return at some future time, and complete my ob- 
servations upon some peculiar ridges cf sand, gravel, 
and bowlders in the vicinity of that village; but, as it. 
may be some years before 1 shall be able to do so, I _ 
would like to lay the observations before the readers 
of Science, hoping that some of the Michigan read- 
ers may have time to investigate the subject fully. 
The surface is here nearly plane. The front mo- - 
raine of the Saginaw glacier lobe lies some thirty-five: 
miles to the south-south-east, beyond Jackson. ‘These: 
ridges trend towards this moraine from some unknown 
point north of Mason to another unknown point. ten 
or more miles south-south-east. I was informed that. 
some of these ridges were six and eight miles in length, 
and are sometimes used as ahighway. The drainage is: 
to the northward at present, parallel with the course” 
of the ridges, though I noticed one or two instances: 
where cr eeks had intersected the ridges instead of 
being guided by them. The ridges seemed to persist 
in a northerly course, though with many local ex- 
ceptions. I noticed one instance in which the main 
ridge turned nearly at an angle of 100°; but the main 
course was continued farther north in the heavier 
ridge, and at the elbow by a much lighter one. The 
ridges are quite variable in elevation. Perhaps the’ 
mean lies between twenty and thirty feet. The slope: 
was not measured, but is, as a rule, too great to per- 
mit their being crossed by teams at the natural grade. 
The component material is all water-worn, and evi-: 
dently deposited through the agency of water. The: 
bowlders are of all sizes, up to twelve inches. Per- 
haps forty per cent were sandstone, similar in litho~ 
logical characters to the subjacent rock strata. The 
remainder were metamorphic or igneous species, ex— 
cept some limestone pebbles. 
Whether these ridges were formed in the longitudi- 
nal crevasses and river-channels of the ancient glacier, 
or not, must be determined by a more careful survey 
of the region than the writer’ was able to make in the: 
few days spent at Mason. L. C. WoostER. 
Eureka, Kan., Dec. 17, 1883. 
Longevity in a fasting spider. 
On the fifteenth day of October, 1881, I enclosed a. 
spider in a small paper box. From that day to the 
seventh day of May, 1882 (204 days), I carefully 
watched and daily inspected the prisoner, and can 
positively affirm that he partook of no food or water. 
The box in which he was confined was as clean and 
white as white paper could make it, and remained so- 
while he continued to occupy it, except for the ap- 
pearance of a few dark specks which I suppose to be 
the droppings of the prisoner. I carefully observed 
him every day, and sometimes two or three times in — 
a day; and I was unable to detect any emaciation or ° 
symptoms of weakness, or even irritability of temper, 
while he lived. He always appeared as active, and 
looked as plump and healthy, as he did the day L 
dropped him into.the box, until within three days of 
his death, when I first observed that wheu the box 
was tipped he would fall from his position, = 
We JONES, MD. 
Newburgh, N.Y. WILD 
