With their bodies bouncing and cares washing away in the unusually warm winter rain--casting off their clothes and worries with a single thought--about 30 Harvard students streaked through Harvard Yard at midnight Monday to accompany the traditional primal scream that marks the beginning of exams.

As hundreds of first-years looked on in astonishment and the band played repeated choruses of "10,000 Men of Harvard," the group started at Holden Chapel and ran around the Yard in a clockwise direction. They ended where they began and then donned clothes for a victory lap around the Yard.

"It was the best half-hour I've had since I've been at Harvard," said observer Michael H. Schur '97 of the Yard's streak and scream Monday night. "As it got to rain more and more, people just went absolutely crazy."

Most of the streakers were upper-class students, with only two first-years in their ranks, according to one of the first-years who streaked. The group was organized primarily through word of mouth.

The only damper on the festivities came when a group of first-years ran after thedefenseless nature lovers and began hurlingsnowballs.

"You're showing your wares to the world," saidstreaker P.J. Malloy '96, "and it's not exactlythe time you want people throwing icy snowballs atyou."

"Tell the people that were throwing snowballsthat they're losers," Malloy said.

No streakers were seriously injured by thesnowballs, according to streaker Rosanna F. Gomez'96. A few suffered minor bruises.

The purpose of the midnight run was to relaxbefore exams, said Gomez.

"It's a good way to relieve stress," saidGomez. "It's like, let's laugh at Harvard now."

One first-year was not too surprised by theshow.

"It was sort of out of the ordinary, but I'dalready seen it once in a Chem 5 lecture, so thistime it wasn't as out of the ordinary as it mighthave been," said Weld Hall resident Adam S.Hootnick '97.

And more streaks may be forthcoming. One of thestreakers advocated universal participation as agoal for future primal scream streaks.

"Maybe next year we'll have a whole army ofnaked people," said Gomez, an Adams Houseresident.

"It's definitely an experience I think everyoneshould try at least once," said streaker James C.McPartland '96