MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA BOREALIS. 47 



more interesting nature still are of frequent occurrence at this dead sea- 

 son of the year, and well-deserving the notice of the observer of nature. 

 As few phenomena of this character have hitherto been taken much no- 

 tice of in this Club, I shall make no apology for introducing to you some 

 observations made upon a very beautiful phenomenon, which has been 

 exhibited in great brilliancy several times since our last meeting I 

 mean " those dancing meteors," that ceaseless shake " a waving blaze, 

 refracted o'er the heavens" the Aurora Borealis. I do not intend mak- 

 ing any detailed remarks upon the theories connected with this interest- 

 ing phenomenon, but merely to describe the appearances as I witnessed 

 them upon two occasions since our last meeting, within this district, and 

 then make a few observations upon the state of weather following their 

 appearance. The first occasion alluded to was the 18th of September 

 last, the evening of our last anniversary meeting, upon which evening I 

 observed the phenomenon in great splendour, whilst travelling from Dunse 

 to Cockburnspath. As soon as daylight had disappeared, the phenomenon 

 commenced being visible, and as the evening advanced, it waxed more and 

 more brilliant ; and though, for some part of the time, a clear moon of five 

 or six days old shone with considerable brightness, it did not at all impair 

 the brilliancy of the " waving blaze" of the aurora. At first there 

 was observed a white arch, resembling a light cloud of the " Cirrus** for- 

 mation, extending over the northern horizon nearly from east to west 

 about 20 or 30 above the horizon. This at first was faint, while some 

 remains of daylight lingered on the hills, but gradually, as the evening 

 became darker, the arch waxed brighter, and then we were made sen- 

 sible of its unsteady blaze, now fading away, till only a dim arch could 

 be seen, and anon suddenly starting forth to its original brilliancy, but 

 never altogether disappearing. Soon afterwards, perhaps half an hour 

 after the arch became visible, jets of white light shot forth from the edge 

 of the arch in one or two places, and streamed over to the zenith. As 

 these disappeared, fresh portions of the arch shot forth fresh streams of 

 liquid light, which blazed over half the heavens, disappearing in their 

 turn as rapidly as they formed, and anon being replaced by fresh and 

 more brilliant streams, till at times the whole northern half of the sky 

 blazed bright with the flickering meteors. From the west side of the 

 arch, long tapering streams shot forth in a slanting direction towards the 

 zenith, in the centre beautiful straight jets tapered up towards the same 

 point of the heavens, while, from the eastern portion of it, long splendid 

 streams slanted their fine points upwards, and all three parts converged 

 their points towards the zenith, like the radii of a circle. While this bril- 

 liant display lasted, occasionally a smaller arch of white light would form 

 a few degrees above the larger one, and from its edges smaller and much 

 shorter jets would be frequently sent forth, which, beginning towards one 

 extremity, would sometimes dance and leap, and run in the most extra- 

 ordinary manner along its upper edge, and now and then assuming pris- 



