11)12] on the Total Er/ipse of the Sim, April 1911. 3r)9 



Large differences of time were experienced also by the Australian 

 observers, whose time arrangements were quite independent of those 

 of my party. 



After the eclipse was over, and all the exposed dark slides had been 

 dispatched to the dark room for subsequent development in the even- 

 ing, the dismantling and repacking of all the instruments were com- 

 menced in earnest ; before the working parties returned to the ship 

 in the late afternoon, most of the instruments were safely again in 

 their cases and placed on rafters in the instrument tents. It was very 

 fortunate that so much of this packing up had been accomplished, 

 for that night a heavy tropical downpour commenced, and itcontiimcd 

 almost unceasingly the whole of the next day and intermittently 

 during the following days. 



There is little doubt that the gradual fall of temperature during 

 the eclipse, which subsequent examination was found to be 5° F., 

 favoured the conditions of cloud formation in such a humid atmo- 

 sphere, and thus prevented us from making satisfactory observations. 



The work of the development of the exposed plates, which was 

 proceeded with and completed under these trying circumstances, soon 

 permitted us to gain some idea of the photographic results ctbtained, 

 and these, as was anticipated, were very meagre. 



With the spectroscopic cameras practically no results of any value 

 were secured, while in the case of the coronagraphs nearly all the 

 negatives displayed strong images of the clouds which marred the 

 coronal streamers. Only two of the large number of plates exposed 

 are of value, and these are restricted to the structure of the lower 

 corona. Fig. 4. 



The work of all the other groups, such as those for sketching the 

 corona, for the observation of the shadow bands, shadow phenomena, 

 etc., was all for the main part spoilt by the presence of the clouds, 

 in spite of the care taken in widely distributing the parties. 



The only parties the observations of which could not be interfered 

 with by the eclipse being a cloudy one were those who were told off 

 to observe closely the effect of the eclipse on animals, birds, etc. 



The rapidly increasing darkness as totality drew nigh suggested 

 all the appearances of nightfall, and the animal world evidently took 

 for granted that such was the case. 



The animal observers at Talau Hill reported that while two horses 

 did not seem to notice the darkening, fowls ran home as if to roost, 

 flowers were observed to close up, and the insects sang as if at night. 



From Muikilehila Hill the report was that birds and animals went 

 to sleep. Near the Observatory site, while horses remained standing, 

 fowls went to roost, pigs lay down, and insects chirped. On board 

 H.M.S. " Encounter " the chirping of insects was plainly heard, and 

 this was apparently even louder than at night. 



Perhaps I might relate here my own experience regarding the 

 noise of the insects. Every evening at the time of sunset, the 



