FORMATION OF SNOWY CRYSTALS. 79 
reception of an equal number of particles in six 
different positions, may determine the regularity 
of the figure produced. Thus, I apprehend, when 
a nucleus of many particles receives an accession 
to one of its sides or rays, an attractive energy is 
communicated to all the other five sides or rays, 
which remains with undiminished energy, until 
some particle comes within their influence, and 
that it is not until eacli has received its share, 
that the attractive force is neutralized. Some law 
of this kind, I should imagine, must prevail, other- - 
wise the formation of regular crystals would be ab¬ 
solutely inexplicable; and much more so the pro¬ 
duction of crystals, of which the greatest propor¬ 
tion of the snow that falls in severe frosts in the 
Arctic Regions consists, wherein every ray, an¬ 
gle, and side, are equal and similar. 
It would appear that the general form of the 
component parts of snowy fringes and depositions 
of hoar-frost, as well as the general character of 
the crystals of snow, has some relation to the tem¬ 
perature of the atmosphere at the time. With 
regard to snow-crystals, I have often observed, 
that the prismatic, or needle form, is the most 
common, when the temperature is near the freez¬ 
ing point, having rarely seen it When the ther¬ 
mometer was below 28° or 27°; while other delicate 
crystals, of certain form and magnitude, only oc- 
