Grube, with two rows of bristle-pencils, and two
bristles in a pencil. The body was transparent and colourless, and the
red hue was given by the great and conspicuous longitudinal
blood-vessels, and by the lateral connecting vessels, which viewed
sidewise took the form of loops. The animals soon died in captivity, but
I kept some for three or four days alive.

I have elsewhere referred to the curious phenomenon of crimson snow, and
to the uncertainty which still hangs over its cause. I have lately met
with another explanation, which seems sufficiently guaranteed to be
depended on, though, as the red snow occurs in places where this cause
cannot operate, it only shews that similar results may be produced by
diverse agencies. A certain resemblance between the facts and those
adduced by M. Peiresc will warrant my quoting them. Mr Thomas Nicholson,
in a visit to Sowallik Point, in Prince Regent's Inlet, thus describes
what he saw:--"The summit of the hill forming the point is covered with
huge masses of granite, while the side, which forms a gentle declivity
towards the bay, was covered with crimson snow. It was evident, at first
view, that this colour was imparted to the snow by a substance lying on
the surface. This substance lay scattered here and there in small masses
bearing some resemblance to powdered cochineal, surrounded by a lighter
shade, which was produced by the colouring matter being partly dissolved
and diffused by the deliquescent snow. During this examination our hats
and upper garments were observed to be daubed with a substance of a
similar red colour; and a moment's reflection convinced us that this was
the excrement of the little Auk, myriads of which bird were continually
flying over our heads, having their nests among the loose masses of
granite. A ready explanation of the origin of the red snow was now
presented to us, and not a doubt remained in the mind of any of us that
this was the correct one. The snow on the mountains of higher elevation
than the nests of these birds was perfectly white; and a ravine at a
short distance, which was filled with snow from top to bottom, but which
afforded no hiding-place for these birds to form their nests, presented
an appearance uniformly white."[70]

After all, however, real _bona fide_ rain does sometimes descend, which,
if not blood-red, is at least red. "M. Giovanni Campani, Professor of
Chemistry at the University of Siena, has just published a letter,
add