184 



Total Eclipsi of August 7, 1869. 



Nearly a minute before totality, we saw with wonder a red 

 flame suddenly shoot out from the upper edge of the 

 moon, and shortly after, the remarkable and beautiful phe- 

 nomenon of Bailey's beads. The slender crescent of light 

 was suddenly broken up in numerous globules, resembling 

 drops of water flowing together, or a string of beads. One 

 observer compared it to a chain of sausages of unequal 

 lengths. 



This peculiar breaking up of the solar crescent was no- 

 ticed by Bailey in 1836. But during subsequent eclipses 

 it has not generally been seen. This fact has led some of 

 the ablest astronomers to doubt its reality, believing it to 

 be an optical illusion. 



The accompanying wood cut is intended to represent 

 the appearance of this phenomenon, but it can only be 

 regarded as an approximate illustration. 



At Mattoon, the appearance was distinctly seen by all 

 the observers, aud its duration recorded on the chrouo- 



