MINIATURE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.
To imitate thunder, provide a thin sheet of iron; hold it by one corner between the finger and thumb, and allow it to hang freely by its own weight. Then shake the hand horizontally, so as to agitate the corner in a direction at right angles to the surface of the sheet. Thus you may produce a great variety of sounds, from the deep growl of distant thunder to those loud claps which rattle in rapid succession immediately over our heads. The same effect may be produced by sheets of tinned iron, or tin-plate, and by thin plates of mica; but the sound is shorter and more acute.
Partial flashes of lightning, aurora borealis, &c., may be beautifully imitated by taking in a spoon about a dram of the seeds of lycopodium, and throwing them against a lighted candle, all other light being excluded from the room.
A similar effect may be produced, by laying some powdered resin on a piece of paper, and fillipping it with the finger against the flame of a candle.