PART iv. OCCASIONAL PHENOMENA. 37 



Sunday, June 26. 



Sky unusually clear this day ; but no instrumental 

 work took place in the spectroscope room, on principle. 



Every one, however, in the house and neighbourhood, 

 noted, from i P.M. and onwards, the formation in the 

 deep blue of the sky, and then remaining centrically 

 stationary, of an enormous cloud to the west, of most 

 peculiar physiognomy; mainly so smooth -edged and 

 regularly curved in an elliptical, a double elliptical, 

 manner, thus 



and pretty evidently at some exceeding height in the 

 atmosphere, far above the highest mountain tops. But 

 the customary trade-wind seemed to have entirely died 

 away, both above and below, and on the sea far and 

 near. 



Towards sunset the above cloud had an outer fringe of 

 cirro-cumuli, but still preserved the smooth outline of the 

 original mass within that fringe, and apparently in a level 

 below it ; besides adding, within that first outline, several 

 others equally smooth, concentric and apparently at suc- 

 cessively lower levels. 



