328 HISTORY OF 



by the earth's interposition. However, upon the 

 tops of very high mountains, circular rainbows 

 are seen, because we can see to an angle of forty- 

 five degrees downward, as well as upward, or 

 sideways, and therefore we take in the rainbow's 

 complete circle. 



In those forlorn regions round the poles, the 

 meteors, though of another kind, are not less 

 numerous and alarming. When the winter be- 

 gins, and the cold prepares to set in, the same 

 misty appearance which is produced in the 

 southern climates by the heat, is there produced 

 by the contrary extreme.* The sea smokes like 

 an oven, and a fog arises, which mariners call 

 the frost smoke. This cutting mist commonly 

 raises blisters on several parts of the body ; and, 

 as soon as it is wafted to some colder part of the 

 atmosphere, it freezes to little icy particles, which 

 are driven by the wind, and create such an in- 

 tense cold on land, that the limbs of the inhabi- 

 tants are sometimes frozen, and drop off. 



There, also, halos, or luminous circles round 

 the moon, are oftener seen than in any other part 

 of the earth, being formed by the frost smoke, 

 although the air otherwise seems to be clear. A 

 lunar rainbow also is often seen there, though 

 somewhat different from that which is common 

 with us, as it appears of a pale white striped 

 with grey. In these countries also, the aurora 

 borealis streams with peculiar lustre and variety 

 of colours. In Greenland it generally rises in 



* Paul Egede's History of Greenland. 



