June 22, 191 1] 



NATURE 



)67 



there are twenty seconds left, the sun burst through ! The 

 eclipse was over ! 



Being busy with my instrument at the beginning of 

 totality, and not being able to see the sun because of the 

 roof of my tent, I could not observe whether totality began 

 with the word "go." A consultation with my confreres 

 afterwards soon gave me the information I was seeking. 

 The eclipse began fully twelve seconds before the word 

 " go " was given, and finished twenty seconds before the 

 word " stop " was shouted. This very considerable differ- 

 ence between calculation and observation seems at present 

 unexplainable, but similar, or nearly similar, times were 

 recorded by the other parties at Neiafu. 



In addition to three chronometers, regular transit 

 observations had been daily made with the transit that was 

 set up on a concrete pillar in our camp. The ship's 

 chronometers were also in very close agreement with those 

 we brought out, so there could be no error of any magni- 



the clouds about, a rift in them enabled him to secure 

 some beautiful photographs of the corona, as good as the 

 best photographs that have ever been taken during an 

 eclipse. I have not seen the negatives myself, but every- 

 one who has is most enthusiastic about them. 



On development of the photographs of my party, the 

 useful results are very meagre. No record at all was 

 shown on the large films of the large grating spectro- 

 graph worked by Mr. McClean. On the 6-inch prismatic 

 camera plates one plate may be very useful. This plate 

 was closed at twenty seconds according to the eclipse 

 clock, i.e. was closed about half a second after third con- 

 tact. All the chromospheric large arcs are well shown, 

 and a great number of short bright, arcs, showing that a 

 record of the chromosphere was secured. There is a 

 certain amount of continuous spectrum shown on the 

 plate, but the spectrum is rich in lines in the violet end. 

 A plate exposed immediately after this n'wps a dark-line 



Fig. 4. — The Captain and his two n 



:a the Echpse Clock. 



tude regarding the time. This important matter will be 

 cleared up when Mr. Brooks, who has the matter in 

 hand, sends in his report on the subject. 



The eclipse being over, I called my party together, and 

 we gave three cheers for the captain, officers, and men 

 of H.M.S. Encounter for the magnificent assistance they 

 had rendered on the occasion of. this eclipse. It was most 

 disappointing that the weather had, been so unfavourable, 

 for liad it been otherwise we should have gathered a 

 wonderful harvest of valuable solar data. 



While we were so hard dealt with at our station, the 

 Australians at Neiafu, about a mile from us, suffered 

 nearly the same experience. They watched the approach of 

 the large cloud, and thought that it would affect them and 

 not us — it affected both of us, however, with disastrous 

 results. A hundred yards or so distant from the .Australian 

 camp was that of Mr. Worthington and his party. .He 

 seems to have been wonderfully lucky, for in spite of all 



NO. 2173, VOL. 861 



spectrum. Several of the coronographs show images of the 

 corona sufficiently good to enable the general form of the 

 corona to be deduced, but they all show too much cloud. 

 The 4-inch 16-foot coronograph has perhaps the best 

 record of the lower corona, and this is beautifully sharp 

 and gives a very fine photograph of the large prominence, 

 the most conspicuous object just before third contact. 



The above, practically sums up the results of the expedi- 

 tion from the astronomical side. In other directions we 

 have positive results. Thus a fine series of observations 

 made with the self-recording barograph, thermograph and 

 hydrograph have been secured. A very complete collection 

 of botanical specimens representing the wild flowers, ferns, 

 &c., and numerous seeds, of the island will, 1 hope, prove 

 useful. 



An excellent collection of butterflies and moths repre- 

 senting most of the varieties has been made, and we are 

 bringing home numerous pickled specimens of fish, centi- 



