12 THE INDIAN ECLIPSE, 1898. 



tripping over tent ropes or stumbling into ditches when return- 

 ing from our little observatories at night. Within, our tents if 

 not luxuriously were at least sufficiently well furnished, and for 

 almost three weeks made us most pleasant and comfortable 

 homes. 



Our sleeping tents ran in a straight line, as near as might be 

 due east and west. The tent farthest to the east was tenantless 

 until a day or two before the eclipse, when Capt. Grant came to 

 visit our host, Mr. Morris. Next was the tent reserved for Capt. 

 Molesworth. Mr. Evershed's, Mr. Thwaites', and Mr. Smith's 

 tents followed in the order given ; then came a large square 

 tent for our instruments, packing-cases, etc., and farthest to 

 the west our own tent. 



Our observing huts were also arranged in a straight line due 

 east and west ; but they lay some 150 yards away to the north, 

 and somewhat to the east of the dwelling camp, so that the 

 latter in no way interfered with the view. Our huts were each 

 about 12 feet square in area, and about 7 feet in height. A 

 strong wooden framework was first constructed, and then this 

 was filled in with bamboo matting, which could easily be taken 

 down as required. Each hut was roofed by three long shutters 

 made of bamboo matting covered with grass, which were lifted 

 on or off in a moment or two by the coolies, and which when in 

 place kept the huts surprisingly cool even in the hottest part 

 of the day. Our telescopes were provided with brick piers, and 

 the floors of our huts w r ere especially substantial ; the ground 

 being first levelled, and then a course of bricks laid down, over 

 which a layer of cement was placed. This floor was regularly 

 washed out every morning, so as to keep the interior of the hut 

 as free from dust as possible, for dust we saw was likely to be 

 by far our worst enemy. 



Mr. Evershed's requirements were somewhat different from 

 our own, but were met as fully as possible. It became necessary 

 for him to have a pit dug in the rear of his hut, and here was 

 found the only venomous snake that we saw during our stay in 

 Talni. We found it somewhat of a disappointment, after the 

 thrilling tales of tigers, panthers, and hamadryads, with which 

 our friends from India had tried to cheer us, both before we left 

 England and on our voyage, to come down to one poor little 

 two-foot-long snake, and a brace or so of jackals, whose presence 

 was only indicated by their howls. The snake was however 

 worth noting, if only for the original piece of natural history 

 which we gathered concerning it. Its tail is short and blunt, 

 resembling its head in shape ; and the natives believe that it 

 interchanges head and tail every six months, so that the end 

 which is head in January is tail in July ! Whether the change 

 is instantaneous or gradual was a point upon which I obtained 

 no light, 



