Prismatic Structure in Ice

Abstract

THE enclosed letter, which has just reached me from Canada, seems to me so interesting that I venture to hope a place may be found for it in the columns of NATURE. I may, however, state that I still adhere to my conviction that the vertical chains of air bubbles are the consequence of the prismatic structure; since in all the cases I have seen they are too regular to have been formed as my correspondent suggests. Although I believe it is an established fact that, speaking generally, ice contracts with cold, I am not aware that its demeanour at a temperature of about 32° F. is quite so accurately ascertained; it seemed to me, when investigating what had been written on the subject, that further information was needed on this point. The prismatic structure appeared, and still appears, to me inexplicable on any other theory than that of contraction.