would induce us to expect, and have even appeared to change their situation, and to dance about from place to place.

To explain meteors of this kind it is only necessary to observe, that the earth is perpetually exhaling a variety of inflammable gases and other materials, as hydrogen gas or inflammable air, phosphorus, carbonic acid gas, and occasionally sulphurous va pour, sometimes separately, and sometimes in a state of union: and that the most active of these, are particularly evaporating in the low stagnant marsh grounds where these phænomena chiefly make their appearance; and may at any time be collected with the greatest ease, by placing over the surface of the soil an inverted wine-glass or tumbler. Now although these gases will not inflame spontaneously, in the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere, they readily inflame from a great variety of natural causes to which they are perpetually exposed; and hence, in effect, those numerous fire.damps, in coal-mines, and other caverns of which we have given a few tremendous examples in a former part of this work. Electricity may be a common cause of such inflammation; the heat generated during the decomposition of the animal or vege table materials that may be locally decomposing, may be far more than sufficient for this purpose; for we know it to be sufficient to set hay-stacks on fire, when the grass has been put together in a state sufficiently damp to favour such decomposition. And it is not improbable, that some of these materials may catch the illumi. nation, as from a candle, from a body in the immediate vicinity that is in the act of spontaneous illumination.

Now the ball or general mass of inflammable vapour being once lighted or inflamed, from whatever cause, will continue to burn as long as its inflammable principle continues without being destroyed; and its combustible power may be more or less in proportion to its purity or state of concentration; whence in some instances it may pour forth light with little or no sensible heat; in others, the heat combined with it may be sufficient to produce slow combustion like that of a dung-hill; and in others palpable and rapid flame. From the levity of the illumined or burning vapour, moreover, it must necessarily change its place in various instances according to the current of air which it either finds, or by burning makes for itself: and hence it must appear to move in various directions, upwards and downwards, to the right and to the left, from object to object,

in a constant dance before the spectator, according to the motion, because that operates upon it: while its colours and dimensions must vary according to the varying density of the fog, or haze, through which, in different places or situations, it is seen, or according to its actually increasing or diminishing and decaying bulk hence, in our opinion, the usual origin of this class of singular meteors.

We hazard the opinion, however, with much diffidence, and shall leave it to our readers to adopt, or reject, as its merit may respectively strike them: and shall only further observe, before we proceed to offer a few examples of them, that while in all countries they are for the most part to be met in wet swampy lowlands, and stagnant marshes or morasses; they more usually occur, and with greater lustre, in hot climates, upon the approach of winter, when the sky, after wearing a fiery brightness, begins to be overcast, and the whole horizon to be wrapped as in a muddy cloud. Mists and vapours, says an intelligent writer, at this time continue to rise with peculiar density throughout all the regions under the line: the air which so lately before was clear and elastic, now becomes humid, obscure, and stifling: the fogs become so thick, that the light of the sun seems in a manner ex. cluded; nor would its presence be known, but for the intense and suffocating heat of its beams, which dart through the gloom, and, instead of dissipating, only serve to increase the mist. After this preparation, there follows an almost continual succession of thun. der, rain, and tempests. During this dreadful season, the streets of cities flow like rivers, and the whole country wears the appear. ance of an ocean. The inhabitants often make use of this opportunity to lay in a stock of fresh water, for the rest of the year; as the same cause which pours down the deluge at one season, denies the kindly shower at another. The thunder which attends the fall of these rains, is much more terrible than that we are generally acquainted with. Among ourselves, the flash is seen at some distance, and the noise shortly after ensues; our thunder generally rolls on one quarter of the sky, and one stroke pursues another. But here the whole sky appears abruptly illuminated with unremitted flashes of lightning; every part of the air seems productive of its own thunders; and every cloud produces its own shock. The strokes come so thick, that the inhabitants can scarce

mark the intervals; and all is one unremitted roar of elementary confusion. It should seem, however, that the lightning of those countries is not so fatal, or so dangerous, in a proportion to its energy, as that with us; since, in this case, the torrid zone would be uninhabitable.

When these terrors have ceased, with which, however, the natives are familiar, meteors of another kind begin to make their appearance. The intense beams of the sun, darting upon stagnant waters, that generally cover the surface of the country, raise va. pours of various kinds. Floating bodies of fire, which assume different names, rather from their accidental forms, than from any real difference between them, are seen without surprise. The draco volans, or flying dragon; will-o'-the-wisp; the ignis fatuus, or wan. dering fires of St. Helmo, or the mariner's light, are every where frequent; and of these we have numberless descriptions.

[EDITOR.

SECTION II.

Of the Ignis Fatuus, as observed in England.

By Sir Thomas Dereham, Bart. F.R.S. the Rev. William Derham, F.R.S. and others.

It being the opinion of divers skilful naturalists, particularly Mr. Fr. Willoughby and Mr. Ray, that ignes fatui are only the shining of a great number of the male glow-worms in England, or of the pyraustæ in Italy, flying together, Mr. D. consulted his friend, Sir Thomas Dereham, about the phenomenon, being informed that those ignes fatui are common in all the Italian parts. But of the pyraustæ, or fire-flies, he says, he never observed any such effects, though there is an immense number of them in June and July. He also says, that these pyraustæ are called Lucciole, i. e. small lights, and that they are not the farfalls, as Mr. Ray thought, which are butterflies.

But Mr. D. has reason to think, that insects are not concerned in the ignes fatui, from the following observations; the first made by himself, and the others received from Italy, by the favour of Sir Thomas Dereham.

His own observation he made at a place in a valley between

rocky bills, which he suspected might contain minerals, in some boggy ground near the bottom of those hills. Where, seeing one in a calm, dark night, with gentle approaches, he got up within two or three yards of it, and viewed it with all possible care. He found it frisking about a dead thistle growing in the field, till a small motion of the air made it skip to another place, and thence to another, and another.

It is about fifty-five years since he saw this phenomenon, but he had as fresh and perfect an idea of it, as if it was but a few days. And as he took it then, so he is of the same opinion now, that it was a fired vapour.

The male glow-worms Mr. D. knows emit their shining light, as they fly; by which means they discover and woo the females; but he never observed them to fly together in so great numbers, as to make a light equal to an ignis fatuus. And he was so near, that had it been the shining of glow-worms, he must have seen it in little distinct spots of light; but it was one continuous body of light.

As to the comunication from Italy, it is observed that these lights are pretty common in all the territory of Bologna. In the plains they are very frequently observed; the country people call them cularsi, perhaps from some fancied similitude to those birds; and because they consider them as birds, the belly and other parts of which are resplendent like our shining flies. They are most frequent in watery and morassy ground, and there are some such places, where one may be almost sure of seeing them every night, if it be dark; some of them giving as much light as a lighted torch, and some no larger than the flame of a common candle. All of them have the same property in resembling, both in colour and light, a flame strong enough to reflect a lustre on neighbouring ob. jects all around. They are continually in motion, but this motion is various and uncertain. Sometimes they rise up, at others they sink. Sometimes they disappear of a sudden, and appear again in an instant in some other place. Commonly they keep hovering about six feet from the ground. As they differ in size, so also in figure, spreading sometimes pretty wide, and then again contract. ing themselves. Sometimes breaking to all appearance into two, soon after meeting again into one body; sometimes floating like waves, and letting drop some parts like sparks out of a fire. And

in the very middle of the winter, when the weather is very cold, and the ground covered with snow, they are observed more fre. quently than in the hottest summer. Nor does either rain or snow n any wise prevent or hinder their appearance; on the contrary, they are more frequently observed, and cast a stronger light, in rainy and wet weather. But since they do not receive any damage from wet weather; and since, on the other hand, it has never been observed, that any thing was set on fire by them, though they must needs in their moving to and fro, meet with a good many combustible substances, it may from thence be inferred, that they have some resemblance to that sort of phosphorus that shines in the dark, without burning any thing. As to the appearance of this phenomenon in mountainous parts, they differ in nothing else but in size; these latter being never observed any larger than the flame of an ordinary candle. In general, these lights are great friends to brooks and rivers, being frequently observed along their banks; perhaps because the air carries them thither more easily than any where else. In all other particulars, as in their motion, the manner of their appearance, their disappearing sometimes very suddenly, their light, the height they rise to, and their not being affected either by rainy or cold weather, they are the very same with the cularsi above described, or the large Will with a Wisp, as observed in the plains.

A young gentleman, a very accurate and skilful observer of na. tural appearances, travelling sometime in March last, between sight and nine in the evening, in a mountainous road, about ten miles south of Bologna, as he approached a certain river, called Rioverde, he perceived a light, which shone very strongly on some stones that lay on the banks. It seemed to be about two feet above the stones, and not far from the water of the river: in figure and size it had the appearance of a parallelopiped, somewhat above a Bolognese foot in length, and about half a foot high, its longest side lying parallel to the horizon: its light was very strong, insomuch that he could very plainly distinguish by it part of a neighbouring hedge, and the water in the river. The gentleman's curi. osity tempted him to examine it a little nearer; in order to which, he advanced gently towards the place, but was surprised to find, that insensibly it changed from a bright red to a yellowish, and then to a pale colour, in proportion as he drew nearer; and that