S62 EXPEDITION TO POINT I'.AKKONY, ALASKA. 



of lights below the horizon. \Yheii the arch appeared it had no apparent motion and only lasted 

 a short time : the light in the S. at at 7 a. m. resembled a band of faintly illuminated cirrus cloud. 



Xnvcmber 1~>, 1881, 3 . . io 3.15 a. m. Position not observed. Seen through breaks in the 

 clouds. 



\onjiiln-r Hi, 1881, 0.45 a. m. In 1 <>.:!( a. m. XW. to SE.; position continually changing. First 

 seen at 6.45 a. in., when the clouds rolled oft 1 . At 8 a. in. an irregular curtained arch ran from the 

 XW. horizon, passing S. of the Pleiades through Orion and down to the moon. Below this to 

 the S. was a complete, arch elevated about 1.1- 'above the horizon with a well defined dark segment 

 below it. Patches of nebulous light were, at the same time, visible in different parts of the sky 

 to the X. and XE. At t) a. in. several detached segments of curtains were scattered over the 

 zenith and X. and XE. sky, while a broad and pale band extended round the southern sky IVom 

 the XW. to the SE., forming a semicircle elevated about 10 above the horizon with the " dark 

 segment'' below it. At 10 a. in. all that remained was a pale narrowband passing through the 

 zenith, and at 10.30 all had faded away. 



Xorembcr 1C, 1881, 9.30 p. m. to 11.55 p. m. From XXW. to SE., constantly changing both in 

 position and appearance. Arch developed rapidly into a broad curtain with a number of streamers 

 at its northern end. It rose rapidly, passed the zenith and soon faded away, and was succeeded 

 by another very brilliant one, of intense sulphur-yellow color, running through the zenith from XW. 

 to SE. There was a quick quivering motion, curtains formed and faded, and faint rays shot 

 upward in the well-known form of flames arising from burning alcohol ; these arches followed 

 each other in quick succession and seemed mostly to be propagated from the SE. to the XW. 

 Disappeared at 11.3.5 p. m. 



Xi'ircmbcr 17, 1881, 7 a. m. to 11.40 a. m. XW. to SSE. A low arch passing through the belt of 

 Orion, brightness 2. Another narrow band (brightness 3) reached from XW. horizon to the Hyades. 

 Very little change was exhibited except that the light grew gradually paler, and at 9 a. in. had 

 resolved itself into a number of nebulous patche/s scattered over the southern half of the sky, but 

 at the same time a bright curtain appeared near the northern horizon. All faded and became 

 more diffused, and finally disappeared at 11.40 a. m. 



Xorember IS, 1881, 1 a. m. to I p. m. Large auroral streamers rising from near the northern 

 horizon almost to the zenith, first seen at 1 a. in., and had disappeared at l' a. m. At 7.20 a. in. it 

 reappeared, and several bands or irregular arches appeared, passing through the zenith from XW. 

 to SE.. but being, to a great extent, obscured by clouds, their position and peculiarities could not 

 well be determined. The arches had changed at 9 a. m. to a broad band of very pale diffused 

 light to the southward running through Orion. Seen at Intervals, though very indistinct, until 

 1 p. in., when it entirely disappeared. 



yovem'ber 19, 1881, 3.10 a. m. Io 3. .'JO a. m. A pale narrow band appeared in the zenith running 

 from from XW. to SE. Disappeared at 3.30 a. m. 



\oi-ewbcr 1!>. 1881. nd -0, 1881, 8 p. m. to 10.40 a.-m. This aurora was a very extensive one 

 and assumed a very great variety of shapes and positions. It was at no time very brilliant as a 

 whole, though some of the curtains were quite bright. There were but few traces of color other 

 than bright sulphur yellow and white. There seemed two foci from which the rays, bands, and 

 arches seemed to spring, one in the XXW. and the other in the SE. From these points the arches 

 were mostly propagated in direction of their length, not simultaneously but very irregularly. The 

 development of the arches was always rapid, and, once they were formed, their motion upward to 

 the zenith and to the southward, though not very perceptible at any particular instant, was also 

 very rapid. At 7 a. in. the greater part of the sky was more or less illuminated: bauds, curtains, 

 and patches of pale, nebulous light were scattered over it in great confusion. After this if; began to 

 fade, and disappeared at 10.40 a. m. 



Xorember 21, 1881, 9 a. m. to 10.20 . m. Indistinct and dim: seen through the clouds, so (hat 

 peculiarities, if any, could not be observed. 



Vri,v<//o-21 find '22, 1881, 12 mid-day to lo.JO . m. Had some short intervals of intermission and 

 pciiods of comparative brilliancy. The light was very pale and diffusive, the bands mostly broad 

 and ill defined. At 7 a. m. reached its greatest brilliance, when a bright irregular arch was formed, 

 narrow at the ends and very broad at the top. The broad part consisted of a number of bands, 



