t l6 7 ] 
great diftance from the earth, and much beyond 
the limits that have been afligned to our atmof- 
phere. The fmaller meteors, which we call fall- 
ing flars, I have frequently obferved from the 
mountain of St. Bernard, one of the high Alps; 
and laft year I had the good fortune to lee feveral 
of them from the higheft region of Mount Etna; 
an elevation ftill more confiderable, and probably 
the greateft acceffible one in Europe, and they al- 
ways appeared as high, as when l'een from the 
lowed; grounds ; fo that probably the height of 
two or three miles, bears but a fmall proportion to 
the common altitude of thefe bodies. 
From their frequent appearance, during the laft 
froft, I was inclined to believe, that the air was 
then in a very favourable ftate for electrical pur- 
poles ; but not being provided with a common 
machine, I bethought me of a whimfical one to 
fupply the want of it. The back of a cat, it is 
well known, often exhibits ftrong marks of elec- 
tricity ; being, therefore, defirous to try what ef- 
fect this might produce, when made ufe of inftead 
of the glafs globe, I cut a quantity of harpfichord- 
wire into fhort pieces, of five or fix inches, and 
tying them together at one end, made the other 
diverge like the hair of a brufh. I took a large 
metal peftle of a mortar for my conductor, to the 
end of which I fixed the brufh of wire ; and in- 
flated the whole, by placing it on a couple of 
wine-glafles. I then took a cat on my knee, and 
bringing her back under the wires, I began to 
ftroak it gently. The animal continued in good 
humour for a few minutes, and I had the fatis- 
faCtion 
7 
