236 Rev. W. Scoresby on some remarJcable Ramhoivs. 



observer of nature, and as tending to the development of those 

 beautiful principles with which the Almighty has so universally 

 endued the vast range, and every atom of that vast range of the 

 material creation. And they are further interesting, because, 

 when understood, they generally resolve themselves into the ef- 

 fects of some laws, principles, or combinations already known, 

 and afford additional instances of their amazing variety of opera- 

 tions, and of their universality of application. In this view, 

 therefore, even modifications of the more ordinary phenomena, 

 or extreme cases as to beauty, extent, or peculiarity of such, are 

 not undeserving of attention, either to the naturalist or the 

 philosopher. 



Hence I am induced to offer to the Wernerian Society an ac- 

 count of two appearances of rainbows — though a phenomenon of 

 such ordinary occurrence; because, in one of these cases, there was 

 exhibited perhaps the extreme of beauty of which this brilliant 

 arch is susceptible ; and, in the other case, there was a multipli- 

 cation of the segments beyond any other example of a rainbow 

 I ever before witnessed. 



The first example that I shall mention, so nearly resembled a 

 remarkable rainbow described in a late number of the Edin- 

 burgh Philosophical Journal (a rainbow that appeared at Lengs- 

 feldt, on the 18th of May last), that I fear the following descrip- 

 tion will seem to be little else than a repetition of what is already 

 before the public. At all events, presuming on the interest 

 which observers of nature always feel in such appearances as 

 are at all of an extraordinary character, I shall not withhold the 

 notes which I made on the occasion. 



This magnificent phenomenon was seen at Bridlington Quay 

 at 5 p. M. of the 12th of August 1826, during a brilliant sun- 

 shine, and a heavy partial shower that passed across from north 

 to south, to the eastward of the town. Both the primary and 

 secondary bows were complete arches, descending to the ground 

 on the left, and to the surface of the sea on the right hand. 

 The colours were of extraordinary brilliancy throughout. With- 

 in the arch of the primary bow, were no less than three if not 

 four supernumerary bows in close and regular order, but pro- 

 gressively diminishing in intensity, so that the last was scarcely 

 discernible. The primary bow was of course a series consisting 



