New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-25
SHOWERS OF QUEER THINGS.
FROGS. FISH AND sNAILs REPORTED
TO HAVE FALLEN FROM HEAVEN.

CURIOUS RECORDS OF UNNATURAL PHENOMENA
TERROR AT BLOOD AND SULPHUR RAINS.
From The Pail Mall Gazette
PaIans have been fayore Sss * ns TT wh ca p
news that an abundant SHOWER q rqgs has e ssn
at Bzerta after era t y aGe' unfort%naiey
that Is al the information vouchsafed. we are
s St 20 vsaon may be they are anticipating
all sorts of mischief result OF this mani'esta-
Frogs have often been mentioned as falling from
the clouds with rain. IL Is not safe, howeVer 70
safc ' to ASSUME e" that in most cases II no;
In ALL the innocent batrachians dld not come come
fordshire' it is asserted that frogs frequently
fell Lord Astons bowling green Ia showers 's 81
70 be thought supernatural Rome mas long been
supposed to be, favor,e dumping ground o Tor
icve that the reptiles descend from the sky. Even
e the British Isles there are records OF fs0s
OF white frogs was reported from BIRMINGHAM tho
Sher day of the U' SS na Of frogs
after rain but as was not na
remember IT, The amphibians are more at home
in water perhaps, than they are on cry Iand. ana
dr 'y weather particuiarly shower OF rain brings
out every toad and frog in the neighoorh9od. IL Is
urc of the B.zerta frog shower Is the fact that
opinion still favorable 10 taking a miraculous view
Of such phenomena
OTHER CURIOUS VISITATIoNs
But frogs are not the only things that mystify
mankind in this way. 0n.y recently there were
Of very abundant shower Of soes round village
IN he log re region 9 one moinng he b nna bsd
been asleep. a mercifu Providence had rained
e6 SfSa foaawnys ds gardens and COURT
yards. The simple fox were divided In opinion
vent MIA a, I this proVidena feas; with viii While
the deyou and superstitious behe!d the scene with
trouble either TO the district or to the nation Il
so happened thai the night these so.es thus
f rd sa sea G was Very ory one there had
been whirlwinds and waterspouts on the shores Of
Inland accompanied by torrents OF rain. 1t seems
highly probable. therefore that the violent tornado
w wi le t saS reaca and carried them upcouny as
much to the astonshment Of the fish As to that OF
hold high carnival at the bare expense Of cooking.
II is not uncommon for fish q one kind or another
10 be made the sport OF the winds There is we'll
from an inch to three inches in length being scat,
1877. the natural home of the visitors being the
Firth Of Forth. hard by: At various times within
come from seotland ard Scots We kn9w, 90 nor
roboratve testiraony on This side OF the border
To mention ony two or three instances ct random:
o: small fish in the parish Of stanstead. about
I2aater. 1866. durin; gale Of wind. with thunder
Maidstone and hartford June. 1871. witnessed falls
OF fish In Lincolnshire. and in the following month.
at the time being so very hot that the clouds very
oonsiderately selt down supply OF ice, In the
Coming down to recent dates. we have the
fact attesied that ar midday on July 3D. $50 there
Cornwall thousands OF them being gathered. and
the inhabitants of the shells found to be alive. ~
Countless less; INSTANCES in France Tndia ialy, the
vatons as Quito, in the Andes, being visited now
and again
sNAILS ANKLE DEEP.
4 snailsorm on a large scale does not seem very
probable, yet September !. ISL. at Tenbury,
Gloucestershire there was remarkable scene.
six acres of ground being covered ankle deep Win
one-havng fallen from the clouds on TO the deck
S ssp in S Sy m, Sn 1gg a h and n ce
lain, the probability is that as the snail was dead
While these appearances of animate objects have
small amount Of fear on the part OF the mass Of
and apparently inanimate objects have always been
accepted as portents OF much more terrible nature
PerSa y h skng of these Il n
so-called rain OF blood. phenomenon that, innocent
upon as Of the most terrible ssnicance ' Red rain
seems to be universal In its distribution and the
Of its occurrence in this country Matthew Of
Westminster does not scrupe to, say that in the
year SCI. real blood raned out OF the clouds, and
II Is not In the least surprising. under the clrcur1
stances. that "a terrible mortality OF men ~.
red appearance Is due TO myrads of tiny aeas.
Puces arbOrescentes. swarmng from the banks
of ponds and lakes and rot falling from the clouds
In the same way the painful whiteness OF the
eved by faint tinge of red or pink and here
close inspection proves that red has fallen
but that the surface OF the snow Is covered with
swarms of an infinitely small nsect-the Proto-
nivalis
Next blood. the suggestive thing Is sui
phUr. for now the untutored mind run riot and
conjure up all sorts of horrible fancies. Sulphur
rains. however have proved to be nothing else
than the yellow pollen of flowers in extensive
it many miles away. The same may be said OF
black rains-round London they are produced by
SCOT from myriad chmneys. In places far re-
moved from towns-as in the northeast OF Scotland
In 1862 and lsG3-volcanic outbursts accounted Tor
the deposition of pumice stones up 10 half a pound
in weight. OF showers of wheat hay and other
trifes there are many records They are all natural