13G THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [June 



by the difference between our pictures III. and IV. and the pictures 

 taken by the American parties to the east of us. This last 

 reason is palpably fallacious. Had any other party photographed 

 the sun at the same moment as ourselves, and our pictures 

 diifered, one or other would have been faulty ; but the eclipsed 

 sun was neither observed nor photographed by others during the 

 period of totality at Jefferson. Mr. Gilman observed it at Sioux 

 City before totality occurred, and Dr. Curtis photographed it at 

 Des Moines after totality at Jefferson. I saw no.thing of the 

 total eclipse, but I heard, in my dark room, the strong expres- 

 sions of wonder uttered by all at the striking changes in form the 

 protuberance was undergoing, and the very vehement language 

 Capt. Ashe was using toward me on account of the delay in 

 passing him plates when he wanted to catch the strange phase of 

 the dissolving view, as the top of the protuberance was being 

 blown away to the east. There are probably periods of greater 

 or less activity in the life of the prominences, and, considering 

 that but a few prominences are visible for a few hours during a 

 total eclipse, what wonder that a prominence in activity should 

 rarely be seen ? Our pictures so closely correspond with the 

 descriptions of the various appearances given independently by 

 intelligent observers on the spot, especially in the structure of the 

 great protuberance, as to afford prima facie evidence of their 

 correctness; but Capt. Ashe, in his report to Government, gives 

 geometrical proof to the same effect, by showing that the rings of 

 the chromosphere (if such it be) in picture IV. are perfectly 

 concentric, and that if the independent protuberances which the 

 English astronomers pretended are duplicates of one and the 

 same, be duplicates, the telescope must have moved in ojiposite 

 directions. 



The chromosphere appears to be heaped up most densely about 

 the equator, though the largest protuberances in each of the late 

 eclipses was isolated and at a distance from the equator. 



All the prominences in our own and others' pictures seem to 

 eat into the moon ; and the same appearance is presented by the 

 more elevated portions of the chromosphere. Captain Ashe con- 

 jectures that this is due to reflections from the moon's surface. 

 This is clearly proved, he thinks, by the following facts, viz. : 

 that the limb of the moon is distinctly seen as a dividing line 

 between the protuberance and its reflection, and that the inner is 

 a similar and inverted image of the outer figure. The same explan- 



