102 THE LIFE OF THE FIELDS. 



and violet During the prevalence of the scarlet and 

 orange hues, the moon, then young, shining at the 

 edge of the sunset, appeared faintly green ; and people 

 remarked how curious a green moon looked on a blue 

 sky, for it was just where the sunset vapour melted 

 into the upper sky. At the same moment the gas- 

 lamps burned green rows and rows of pale green 

 lights. As the sunset faded both the moon and gas- 

 lamps took their proper hue ; hence it appeared as if 

 the change of colour were due to contrast The gas- 

 lamps had looked greenish several evenings before the 

 new moon shone, and in their case there can be no 

 doubt the tint was contrast merely. One night, some 

 hours after sunset, and long after the last trace of it had 

 disappeared, the moon was sailing through light white 

 clouds, which only partly concealed her, and was sur- 

 rounded by the ordinary prismatic halo. But outside 

 this halo there was a green circle, a broad green band, 

 very distinct a pale emerald green. Beautiful and 

 interesting as these sunsets have been, I cannot sub- 

 scribe to the opinion that they surpass all that have 

 been observed; for I distinctly remember sunsets 

 equally brilliant, and some even more so, which 

 occurred not so very long ago. To those who are in 

 the habit of observing out-of-door phenomena a beauti- 

 ful sunset is by no means uncommon. 



Sometimes the sea disappears under the haze of the 

 winter's day : it is fine, but hazy, and from the hills, 

 looking southwards, the sea seems gone, till, the sun 

 breaking out, two or three horizontal streaks reflected 

 suddenly reveal its surface. Another time the reflec- 

 tion of the sun's rays takes the form of a gigantic and 



