White. — SJiadoiv-pictures. 109* 



rays of light had passed through a quantity of jasmine trained 

 on wires along the front of the verandah, to my astonishment 

 all the spots of light showing on the densely-black shade were 

 of a creseentic form, and made a most unicjue and wonderful 

 pattern. Not one series of rays passing through the jasmine- 

 bush but what took the exact creseentic form, all about the 

 same size ; and, more singular still, all the horns of the 

 crescent-forms were directed in a similar manner. To the 

 left of the observer, or eastward, the door of the room 

 opening on the verandah was open, and similar shadows 

 were shown on the far wall of the room, by the side of the 

 fireplace. 



The sun was low on the horizon. Unfortunately I neg- 

 lected to note the exact stage of the eclipse — that is, whether 

 the creseentic form of the visible portion of the sua pointed to 

 the east or west, or if the eclipse was coming on or going off 

 at the time. I am quite convinced that the shadow-crescents- 

 corresponded to the stage of the eclipse, and that at the oppo- 

 site stage of the eclipse these creseentic shadows would all 

 have faced in the opposite direction — that is, westward. 



I have no theoi-y to account for this occurrence, but simply 

 record what was plainly visible. Doubting whether or no it 

 were some delusion, I said to my companion. "What do you 

 see on the wall?" when he turned and looked at the shadow,, 

 and then said, " All the light spots are crescents." Afterwards,. 

 in his presence, I described this scene to Mr. and Mrs. H. K. 

 Hodge aiid Miss M. E. Worthingtou, and drew a rough 

 sketch, all of which was corroborated by Colonel White. So' 

 that, although these persons did not actually see the shadow, 

 yet they can speak to the fact that Colonel White agreed 

 with me as having himself seen this unusual sight. 



\\'hen viewing a total eclipse of the sun, which seldom 

 falls to the share of any one person to see more than once in 

 a lifetime, there are so many points of interest and such a 

 short time allowed for observation that one's attention is 

 frittered away in trying to notice too many things at one and 

 the same time. Above all, the observer should be clad as for 

 an antarctic expedition, or he will soon find himself by the fire- 

 side and in no way eager for astronomical observation. I 

 noticed ice about an inch thick on buckets of water, formed 

 during the interval of the eclipse. If the time occupied by an 

 eclipse were of longer duration all life would no doubt become 

 extinct in localities under its innnediate influence, owing to 

 the intense cold prevailing. 



The annexed diagram (PI. III., fig. 1) will be sufficient 

 to illustrate my description, but gives no conception of the 

 beautiful pattern which was shown, and vv'hich, to tl;e best of 

 my ability, I have attempted to describe. 



