Volume 1

Natural history, general and particular / by the Count de Buffon, illustrated with above six hundred copper plates. The history of man and quadrupeds, translated with notes and observations by William Smellie... A new edition, carefully corrected and considerably enlarged, by many additional articles, notes and plates, and some account of the life of M. de Buffon. By William Wood.

  • Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de, 1707-1788.
Date:
1812
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Natural history, general and particular / by the Count de Buffon, illustrated with above six hundred copper plates. The history of man and quadrupeds, translated with notes and observations by William Smellie... A new edition, carefully corrected and considerably enlarged, by many additional articles, notes and plates, and some account of the life of M. de Buffon. By William Wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the north ; though he saw one, which was formed previous to this passage of the wind from one quarter to another, and even in the current of a north wind, i. e. a pretty long time before this wind had ceased: the cloud from which this water spout depended, and to which it was at- tached, was still violently driven to the south. The sun, at the same time, was seen behind the cloud to the south. It happened on the 6th day of January, about eleven o’clock before noon. 2. These water spouts are formed during the day in detached clouds, apparently very thick, much longer than broad, and well defined below in the direction of the horizon: the under part of these clouds is always very black. 3. All these water spouts at first appear under the form of inverted cones, whose bases are more or less extensive. 4. Several of those water spouts that appear under the figure of inverted cones are some* times attached to the same cloud; some are never entirely completed; some are dissipated at a small distance from the cloud ; and others descend apparently very near to the surface of the sea, under the form of a long flat cone, which is narrow and pointed at the bottom. In the centre of this cone, and through its whole length, there is a whitish transparent canal, about one third of the diameter of the cone, the two sides of which were very black, especially on their first appearance. These water spouts were observed from a point in the isle of Bourbon elevated 150 fathoms