Rev. W. Scoresby on smne remarkable Rainbows. 237 



of the ordinary succession of colours, reckoned from the outside, 

 being red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Im- 

 mediately in contact with the interior violet, succeeded the super- 

 numerary stripes of different colours, consisting, most obviously, 

 of green and purple or violet, in regular succession. The other 

 colours of the spectrum were not observed. The whole pheno- 

 menon conveyed the idea of a splendid canopy of equal vertical 

 arches, which seen from beneath, seemed to diminish in distinct- 

 ness from the effect of the receding distance. 



Another phenomenon of the same class, with a peculiarity 

 which appeared to me to be of a very uncommon kind, may be 

 of more importance to be described. 



This consisted of two beautiful segments of primary and se- 

 condary rainbows, (called by the sailors " weather-galls,'' when, 

 as in this case, they consist only of the portions next the horizon) 

 with some supernumerary bows within the arch of the former ; 

 and likewise, which is the extraordinary part, another spectrum 

 rising almost vertically from the base of each of the common 

 arcs, at its apparent termination in the horizon of the sea, so as 

 to form two figures nearly resembling the Greek v. 



The segments a and 6, Fig. 1. PI. IV. represent the portions of 

 the primary and secondary bows, and e the supernumerary bows, 

 whilst c and d represent the two vertical spectra. Perhaps I 

 err in defining them vertical spectra, because the apparent form 

 was a portion of a circle, curved in the same direction (namely, 

 towards the left) as the irides ; but not having used any means 

 to ascertain the exact form, I cannot speak with certainty, either 

 as to the curvature, or to the direction in which it deviated, if 

 it deviated at all, from the perpendicular. In other respects, 

 there is no uncertainty, not even as regards the apparent form, 

 a sketch of the appearance being carefully made at the time. 



The colours of the primary vertical spectrum (c) were in the 

 same order, and almost of similar brilliancy, as the rainbow with 

 which it was connected ; and the colour of the secondary verti- 

 cal spectrum (d), as well as its width and general appearance, 

 also corresponded with the colours and magnitude of its own 

 bow. 



This phenomenon was seen on the 3d of September 1821, at 



