Proceedings. 3 



district. They often accompany thunder-storms, which are 

 not usually severe or numerous at Eedhill. 



Fog. — There were seven foggy days in January, from the 

 13th to the 15th, and from the 26th to the 29th ; and foggy 

 mornings on January 30th, and on March 1st to the 4th. 

 November 20th and 21st were also foggy days. In moun- 

 tainous districts fog produces occasionally some remarkable 

 phenomena, among them one known as the Spectre of the 

 Brocken, so called from being first observed, or first public 

 notice being taken of it, in the district of the Brocken, 

 among the Harz Mountains in Germany. In earlier days, 

 before the true character of this phenomenon was known, 

 the appearance of what was regarded as a spirit form of 

 gigantic size on the mountain of the Brocken caused great 

 terror among the people of that district. Now, however, the 

 Brocken Spectre is known to be observable in any moun- 

 tainous country, at about sunrise or sunset, during the 

 existence of fog, subject, however, to the fog forming a bank 

 or wall on which a shadow may be projected. It is well 

 ascertained that the assumed gigantic size of the apparition 

 is an optical illusion : that the spectre is in fact the shadow 

 of the observer projected by the sun on a bank of fog. Fog- 

 bows are occasionally seen. On a Sunday morning some 

 years ago, in winter, I was on my way to Bletchingley. 

 There was dense fog in the valley at the foot of Bedstone 

 Hill, but sunshine at the hill-top. Looking down over Mr. 

 Webb's field, towards the two red houses at the foot of the 

 hill, I noticed they were completely hidden from view by the 

 fog, but I observed a bow of white light on the fog, not 

 prismatic. The bow was rather more than half a circle in 

 extent, and lasted a considerable time ; how long the 

 phenomenon did last I do not know, as I could not then 

 spare the time to watch for its disappearance. I have not 

 seen anything of the kind since, nor had I seen anything of 

 the kind before. 



I notice that there were specially ^/ine drt?/s from February 

 25th to 28th ; the days from morning to night were cloudless, 

 with a fairly clear atmosphere. The temperature each night 



B 2 



