Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-24
o TO b. Continued.)
CNRIOls SHOWERS.
Strnnge nnd Startling Phenomena o,
the Clouds.

strange nad Startling Phenomena q
the Clouds.
game OF cricket was once ntarrup.e;
in curious way in a small town in Scot
land.
The day. ordinarily pleasant, sudd,nI,
clouded over and soon began to fall wha
the players thought was hail, until it wa
observed sofilt Of the supposed haiIs.one.
were moving, and investigation showed thai
1t was raining slellfsh.
L'ttle, cr'sstsce3ns like prawn filled the all
and came down upon the grass in counties;
numbers. TIE incident created widespread
comment. as the prawns originated in salt
water which was long distance away, and
many curious theories were advanced to ac.
count for the phenomenon
Such showers are not known in various
parts of the world, and always arouse tbs
wonder OF the observers who often see some
thlnS miractfLus in the occurrence
Not many years ago the village of Kenpo-
way, in Fifeshire Scotland, was visited by an
equally remarkable shower, consisting of
small frogs. They fell like snow. filling up
creVlces In the streets, from which they
crawied into the houses and were gathered
ara swept out, In heaps, to the amaZ: ment
and wonder Of the villagers, who believed
that the, animals had literally rained down
from the skies.
Near Falkland a shower of seaweed oc-
Cured during heavy storm. 1t was during
the winter, when the trees were bare and the
morning following the storm the limbs were
seen covered with seaweed that swung in the
preeZe, presenting a singular spectacle and
conveying the impression that the trees had
peeh Tor rev moments immersed in the
ocean and then raised laden with the weed
lha natives Of Rajkote, india had occasion
TO long remember shower which fell in that
neighborhood. An elephant train had been
passing during the forenoon but, caught in
heavy storm. the drivers turned the great
animals into some sheds which stood near
Before reaching them some of the men nc
ticed that fishes were falling. at first few,
then scores; and a few minutes later
they came pattering down by hundreds,
striking the elephants and riders and sliding
on o on 70 the ground. The appearance Of the
nshes was accepted by the superst!t!ous ma
tiVes as miracle as the near st stream
from which they could have come was many
miles away
In these instances and others the wind r.
the medium. During a sGuall or WhlrlwlnG
or some similar occurrence the strgam or
pond is fairly lifted into the air, its contents
whir!ed upward and borne away, to b.
dropped to the earth perhaps miles distant
complete list of showers of various kinds
In which animals have fellsn to the ground
would maze an extraordinary slowing Nelrly
an the showers illustrate the possibility of
the distribution OF animals from one section
OF the country to the other and explain the
Presshce OF c5rtain animals in ponds and
iakes mat are apparently inaccessible.
After heavy shower had once swept over
Lake Gynant shower Of small fishes re-
sembling young hsrring began to fall, to the
amazement OF the women who were gathered
about the banks washing. The storm was
particularly severe. one, accompanied by
thunder and lightning, and the Giving rain
had evidently bsen transported a long dis
tance before being dropped into their native
element again. .,od..
The transportation of fish through the air
Is by no means uncommon. The city of
Louisville, KygJwaDIo once visited by a shower
II fishes. Tho fallcef rain was extraordinary,
ove'fowng the streets, and the following
morning quaRtitiisd OF small fish, the sun
perch. were foandi swimming in the cutters
Attempts vera mAIe to discover where they
came from. bnt moi extraordinary whirlwind
had been noticed I'M the vicinity, and, 30 far
rs known, the sourcs was never traced That
1shes are lifted outof the ocsan by the wind
and whisked awayfs a well known fact.
IL Is remarkablel that living animals should
be carried about In the air, but what shall
We say when eenfrented with the facts show
ng that minute Fossils float about and de-
'cend thousands OF nmiles from th= localities
rom which they Nwere originally taken up.
When Darwin lhe distinguished naturalist.
ne noticed thae7thotgh a long distance from
and, the air was ,fflIsd with fine impalpable
lust that had an Injurious effect upon the
Inc Instruments He collected some of the
lust, end, thinking that 1t might contain
Iomething OF interest, forwarded 1t to the |
ierman naturalist Ehremberg. who after |
II through a powerful microscope. |
made the remarkable announcement that 1t |
ontained infuscrians. silcisms, shields and |
he silicons tissue OF plants, In all, the re- |
mains OF sixty-seysn different organic forms
'wo OF these were from salt water. the rest |
'elng fresh water forms. and from South |
AMERICA as the naturalist showed: yet here
hey had drifted in the air several thousand
niles from the locality from which they
rlglnally started,
Dust is often raised in the air by the
amattan--a hot African wind-that car
les 1t over the Atlant'c for thousands
miles. and there is little dorpt but thl,
normous masses OF dus; are borne aloft
nd held for months In the air and finally
eposited long distances from the original
lie. Especially IN the west where there
re dry arid Plans. methods OF dust trans