, 1876-12-16
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.


printed account Of tho later phenomenon is Pre-.
served In the british Museum, autl gentleman
who has lately examined the rasc old tract con.
tainlng 1t contributes M interesting description
TO the dIhsn0a,n. The pamphlet Is q quarto Of
nineteen pages, entitled "Lookc Vp and SEQ
Wonders: a Miracvlnus Apparil!on In the
hyrc, lately seen III Barke-si1ire, al Bawlkin
Greene, neerc 1tartford, April 9th, 1G.8'' OF
coussc the author regards tho occurrence ns
purtent III evil and hs begins Ills treatise With
tic solciur admontttun: $50 Dcluulncd wee
arc In our Scnccs, that albeit Hud himself Hulla
III olF Eares, wee BY our wills arc loath to llcare
HIN. His dreadful Pursuiuants Of 7hundtr and
Lightning tGfrctc vs long as they have rs iu
their fingers, but becing oil, wcc taocc and sing
in the midst OF our Folles."
Passing thence 10 tlsu direct subject Of Ills
cussiup, lie speaks Of "thc faure great q uarter-
masters o( tbs world (Ltie Fo1re Ee1ucuts,, -
reiuarking that
The d,re 10 tho shop Of Thnntcr aud lightning
encmie. and threalnrss q Vengeance. which tie
great GcacHl of The Field. wllo conducts aid
commands all such Armies tod Aimtqify. I
ntto"a OF his Indignation sumo other why v,un
the bosomcs otthosc that would confound ii. t:us
pet'' H.; III, II T. 70. fcr nan t. d7Inse wilhtiod.
eyes up TO 1tcauen let " bchnL llIm. bending
his ttHt pnely. a. lately e did U the fcrronre and
Townc lit the County OF lIurkshlre. ltbc.
game thus: First for an onsct. went OF great
sss e s ct @sts e w * Tbeg
wh!lv after aShcard second; md so By desrccs
q third, ,vntlll thc number Of 70 wtrs Dis:
=, n n Es ss1f s aFtf ,
lance Of time after this was audLhly heard the
sn'lnt' % Of Drum beatinga lse.ssate. Amongst al'
tl!lA ttght O wonderful admiration tst
a. thc cnd Of thu rrpnrs Of uscry crackc.
Sroass e 1yt o' rnts te S}ns ns o'dS ;ys M1y
fran thr mouths Of tho ercat Ordnance: and by tho
1uagmsnt 81 alt te tef1or. stricken witnesses they
by many ptop!s to fall VI place called Ba,siktn
Greent. being mile and ha1f from Hartford.
II l. ~ tic conntrey eseIihly fcnostcsl thu.
placcs.
As for the cause of this phenomenon, the
chTn!cIrr frowus uposl any inquiry lookiu.
toward H.:
Let Y not ic 50 darins to pry into the clo.ct
Of f:od's dst<irntnations." he fnlplores, .'Uls
oTkesrrt JHti Of lroMurs. and m: 10 be eraaiintd
Let VI nos bs no foolish tnrre -tlaauacht mnk-
OF Fort.f<n wt,a. allagl hapHeu. fnire wcatlrr as
fnnlr 70 or own htnadaae Or auy other; scarcity
Or rlehty. Ware or Peart: for snch gihly-hrayu'
stddlcrs s..ootc telt A1rowes Leyoni shs stt,ou.
Another version OF thr satne OCCURRENCE Wis
communicated by an eyewitness in letter to
frIcntl: A eopty 81 lis guaiaf cpstle Is pre-.
SCTfCu IHtQfn Tue MSS. O1 ufiftYu AluEEtlIil,
and rcasis n foluwx:
Mk. pAw*nSE-The cans. Of MY written 10 you
9t thu time ~ Iy rc.un ui ah accident that the
Lord tcnt ahIong VI. Illaye hard Of tho Lard bv
now ,nIn.: eyes atf, sens hi.: you viii n.arnili
that wright t!LA Tar i,o ulan I.a.!i srne up al anY
tin,u. yct il, his wutks w him dny, hit nav
matter Il wsa ills on "Wednesday befosc Easter,
,stns tte iiintl Of hrr about niac Ut t'lr clockc
n tl't n!ts1nt.'r there ssns Hnri, noysc III thu
nnan ni'vs nrvcr hard the like. Aud 1t beg.,,u 4,
fallncth f.st ~ i ware one 'l,ecu Ut .'rd,nnnru
tnw n.nTe. and then they went ns ttl!ke ~
ever hard vMlic Of sl,oe. tn ~ NY Life, nnd
after thstas i |. wsre tls ao1na u .Ironr 10 s
Anlasu.ent Of nice. your 5lut!lnr nnd hundred
nnEc heaideH yet tha not NIL. but IN ii IL tn,
ported Trre fell dlusrs stuucs !ut tow i. s.rtaae
u mile OF. and the other Ut Ruktnu, s mile Uf
tnl knee dccpc III Il canie tu t.u vt.y rocke. nnd
when 1t canlc Ut the haTl rnckt 1t btaEc. nm. lenY
Waycd Atl tlte lsvaGeras tOGctHtr, they wayed rix
and twenty pound; the other TINT taken up In
1T tha Athlss iAlbriat (C,unsitvr shia Tint iii
l,,:s coHr by tiatasu} stand a,nasrd At tals ~orkd
NJ tue LDrl.
lllftDS AND rElEE EEHAPH-NvI1tl.S.
Dr. Elliott Cones cata attruliun, III thu
NaturAist, to tlle fact, thus far scarcely noted
by osn!thologIsts, ut the i,uule'sr destruction OF
birds by tclegraph-wiEcs. During rerent
horseback journey 0f llU sntles frIln Denver ~
Cheyenne, aloug tic routu fUIluwrd by thu trle
grap1I, he discovered lhc hayuc which, the lines
arc working hy tfirIstn% au ulsusptc,eu I'm
{tlfnuEt III the way Of bIr1Is sweeping b heat.
long Hight through thu str LIS ;mill lay over
a stretch ot rolling pTalre, un which horned
turks {EfemopMua} and 1larcomns buutiug
(I"!tetrothaHes .ua<eowna) were uost abundunt
F1swks Of the first sI,eeics were Aln,ust routin-
ually IN atsht.
Almost immediately t.Ie rel.tcs) npnn .ia,as Iy
tho ttlcxta!h.wlfe, noticed a dead lark; md.
a. passed sesera! n,6ts In quick succession. my
nsteatlun was sfousel. Ths pussson VI thu dead
birds enabled TUG 10 aracu causS aud elect,
leforc actually witnessed a ca.e, ef the
ns.ll; q, diteeiiy hs9e.tI tts wlrs. 4
along tue road. Heeonalns intusesieu In tbs u,at:
ter. be4sn " euunt. nnd daa!st.d unly attes Nc.
taaily eountiaf ,,a nsnaF:st II te eoure q ous
dtssaace ot 1hrsr l"iiss. MI was It Talk bsioIc
saw blr.. stEtke tic wire, a,tt Tall stunIlc lo tho
hour. Uhv bird 1aa iu wing broke; 4nulllrs was
picked W dy!ng u e9nsat4lons from thn fuscs VI
anned were started from thelr sockets. and the
teathers of tlu fofehs4d we're turn oil, ladIcatin.a
violent blow pren tho head; but. t.l :,lUst cssrs,
thsss VA left no outward mark OF tic fata sutcr.
A.oaK so,ns particular .tse,chcs Of wire. whcro.
for wtlaevcr EeasuM. 6lrla hsd cU!gresHted, the
dead onea averaged At least ons u csefy interval
between Lis Hules; suurliI1ea twu Or three tay To-
gcshct tl,nwlnx whsfr lock h*d tuAsed by, and
iestfoysd consisted Il iasi.: i na,tre1. pr. pr.
haps, bali dozen luntsngs nas lnes.dox. Startling
tSfafas|ia maguA nfa!setdl. and oue Xrucn. winged
Of laEks probably due. n tl,s nalu, stl,IIy to
their greater abundance; Lut presume thai their
sngutarly wayward, tu.puisiyu digit may tave In.
ctea.gl tllu risk Ut striking tho rffrs. fuy wsro
thu only birls SAW knocked down; and nuttcg.l,
Or fancict noticed. sue trkitatIun anil cul |usul
IN ilutr nfgRt when liz hack4 crossea the Ilnu Of
tho wire.
The rate Of destruction which DR.. Cunes OBJ
served Was probably much tn excess Ut that ny
CURING III Other htasUIls aud III other parts vi
the countEy; and yet, from hlsaccDuut, our may
estimate how vast humber Ut birds arc auuuat-
ly Killed by lying against thu trlrgrapll.wircs.
d. Cores sets THO butnbcr Ut "u,Any hundred