16 Transactions. 



it, directly in tliu centre of tlie gorge already referred to, but on a 

 level with the spur of the Closeburn hills. No such field had ever 

 been observed there before. Then, to our surprise, what we had 

 at first taken to be the reflection of the sun's rays by the clouds 

 appeared to be the whole valley of Lower Nithsdale elevated to 

 the level of the hills and brought within our view, while in the 

 far distance the waters of the Solway were plainly visible. The 

 surface appeared uniform and unbroken by any elevation, while 

 the woods, plantations, and groups of trees shone as dark patches 

 and more prominent than usual. The valley sloped gently 

 upwards on the west, as it does towards the ridge occupied by 

 the parishes of Tinwald, Torthorwald, and Mouswald, &c. The 

 outline of this ridge on the west was somewhat indistinct, and at 

 the sensible horizon merged into the clouds above. The general 

 colour was of a reddish yellow, not unlike cultivated land, and 

 formed a strange contrast to the sky above, which presented a 

 natural appearance, with overhanging clouds in some parts. No 

 houses were visible, nor, with the exception of the one already 

 referred to, could fields be distinguished ; but the general contour 

 of the valley, with a clearer outline of the Solway, was distinctly 

 marked. This strange appearance lasted fuLly twenty minutes, 

 and when the sun went down nothing could be seen but the well- 

 defined outline of hills against the clear sky. On the following 

 day I climbed the Doon, a hill in our neighbourhood over 900 feet 

 high, and from this coign of vantage made minute observations of 

 the landscape in sight. The general outline corresponded exactly 

 to that seen on the evening previous, while I at once recognised, 

 down in the valley, the field and wood that had appeared so 

 vividly in the foreground. The relative positions of the woods 

 and plantations were exactly similar. I may here remark that a 

 correspondent in the Scotsman gave a brief account of a similar 

 appearance observed by him about two weeks previous. Such 

 phenomena are i-arely seen in this country, and can only be 

 observed by a person in a position such as we were — with his 

 back to the sun. No doubt this phenomenon was simply caused 

 by the refraction of the rays of light from the valley on passing 

 through the denser atmosphere immediately above it. 



