The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-08-24
SINGULAR SHOWERS.
Authentic Accounts of Fish, Flesh
and Frog Storms.
a Rain OF Rats, Red, Black and Orange
Snow and Other Eccentricities of
Dame Nature - Some Inn
ported Stories.

The very singular phenomenon ia
military known as the train of frogs"
has been ridiculed and contradicted by
some scientists. but there is abundant
proof that such occurrences are by no
means rare. One of the earliest mar
ratives of this kind is that commune
Gated to the French Academy by Prof.
Pontus in 1904, in which he gives an
account of shower of frogs near
Toulouse, and states that he himself
saw numerous young frogs on the
cloaks of two gentlemen who were
caught in the shower on the road.
When the diligence in which he was
travelling arrived at the place where
the storm burst. the Voads and fields
were observed to be absolutely full of
frogs. In some places they appeared
to be three or four deep, and the horses
hOofs killed thousands during the pas
sage of the vehicle through the spot.
An instance of a no less curious frog
shower in our own country is related
by writer in the Overland Monthly,
who says that in the year 1864 he was
with a number of other tourists travel
ing in Arizona at least twenty miles
from any stream or pond. The day
being exceedingly sultry, halt was
made for a rest of an hour or two,
when suddenly dense black cloud
made its appearance. which soon begun
to discharge copious rain. Nearly
every person in the party wore a
broad brimmed felt hat, which proved
a great protection against the rain, as
they had already been against the sun.
The attention of the travellers was
soon arrested by vigorous pelting of
something which seemed like hail
stones upon their sombreros, but
which, greatly to their surprise
proved to be q species of dimin-
utive frogs. In less than two minutes
the grass was fairly alive with these
little creatures. They were all of one
size, about quarter of an inch long,
very lively, and apparently in the best
condition. Their fall had evidently
been broken by the elastic, springy
nature of the grass. Abiding to the
theory advanced by some scientists,
that in such cases the frogs must of
necessity have arisen from the ground,
the writer says: at is not probable
that several hundred thousand, per-
haps millions. of frogs had suddenly
been hatch ed into life by the rain. or,
If they had. that, in their infantile
glee, they jumped five feet, eleven
inches from the earth to the top of our
heads merely to show how the game of
leap-frog should be played. They came
from above, in company with the rain,
and this fact was made clear by hold
ing out the hand and seeing them fall
upon it, as we'll as finding them upon
our hat rims"
To judge from a number of instances
related in Chambers Book of Days"
it would seem that the cause of fish
falls in the old country, at least, out
number those of frogs in considera-
BILE degree. On the 14th of April.
1928. Major Mackenzie, of Rossshire,
while walking in field on his farm,
saw a great portion of the ground
covered with herring-fry, three to four
inches in length, fresh and entire.
The spot was all of three miles from
the Firth of Dingwell. About two
years later, in the Island Of Islay, in
Argyleshire, after day of very heavy
rain, the inhabitants were surprised to
find large number of fresh behring's
strewn over their fields. More re-
Gently Wick newspaper stated that
one morning a large quantity of the
same species of fish were found in
a garden in that town. These, it is
stated, the peasants cooked and ate,
though not without misgivings as to
the possibility of some satanic agency
having been concerned in transferring
them to such spot.
One OF the most curious instances of
this nature is related by an English
officer, who, while residing in Cal
.cutta. saw quantity of live fish de-
.scend in a heavy shower OF. rain.
1.-The most strange thing that struck
me in connection with this event, !"