36G EXPEDITION TO POINT I'.Al.'IfONV, ALASKA. 



iuto an extremely brilliant band of yellowish white, light rising I'roin the horizon due X., making a 

 great .sweeping curve upwards, and extcuding through Cygnus to the zenith, Taoras, aiul dowa 

 into Orion. There was much quiet movement, the vibrations being very short, mostly i:i direc- 

 tion of its length, but no variety of coloring. The pale lia/y arch and dark segment reformed un- 

 derneath, and hung for sonic time longer in the X. and NE. The bright arch above, however, soon 

 moved to the southward, and a very brilliant .scries of broken curtains and convolutions appeared 

 in Orion, but all soon faded considerably, and nothing appeared except numerous disconnected 

 bands and patches of diffused and floceulent light until about 4.30 a. m.. when il disappeared lor 

 nearly an hour. About 6 a. m. there was another brilliant burst in the Is. moving very rapidly 

 towards the horizon. Up to this time the magnets showed very little disturbance, but immediately 

 on this display the disturbance became very great, the unifilar magnet being deJlccted out of the 

 field to the W. so far that the azimuth circle had to be removed 2 10' to bring it back so as to 

 point the telescope on its axis. After C a. m. there were occasional rays and bands in various parts 

 of the sky, but mostly pale and indistinct. All disappeared about 10.30 a. m. 



December 14, 1881, 1 . m. to ~Lp. m. First seen very indistinct near the SE. point of horizon, 

 and afterwards only at intervals glimpses were had of it through the clouds, and was last seen as 

 a narrow band of white light extending from XW. to SE. with its highest point in Ursa Minor at 

 1 p. in. 



December 14 and 15, 1881, 10 p. m. to 2.30 p. m. Faint traces in XE., where it remained as a 

 series of irregular patches and partly arches, disappearing and reappearing from time to time up 

 to about - a. in. of the 15th, when it became more extensive but still retained its diffused and irregu- 

 lar character. At 4 a. m. the magnets were much disturbed, though the display at the time was 

 very faint; the weather being very hazy however at the time, it was difficult to determine its 

 extent. Occasional bands formed and moved southward up to 12 midday, when several bands 

 appeared and remained for a short time, but displayed no remarkable features. Disappeared about 

 2.30 p. m. 



December 15, 1881, 11 p. m, to 11 a. m. December 1C. Pale arch in XE. with its highest point in 

 (. '.ennui, but as the clouds soon increased rapidly its after position could not be determined, though 

 occasional traces were observed through breaks. At 9 a. m., IGth, a broad pale band was visible 

 through the clouds. It was not seen afterwards, but at 11 a. m. the magnets were greatly dis- 

 turbed; the unifilar needle being so strongly deflected to the eastward that it was necessary to 

 move the azimuth circle 3 4' so as to enable observer to point on axis. It remained in this con- 

 dition for nearly three hours. 



December 1C and 17, 1881, 11 p. m. to 10.30 a.m. Faint traces of auroral light low down in tho 

 X K. ; at 12 midnight a still arch, broad, pale, and with the dark segment strongly marked below it, 

 extended from the center of Bootes through Gemini down to the head of Orion. Very little motion 

 was perceptible, and soon afterwards it disappeared, but soon reappeared again as a few straggling 

 rays in Bootes, which, continued to fade and Uicker for a time and then faded away for a short 

 interval, and so it fluctuated until about (5 a. in. of the 17th, when it suddenly became more bril- 

 liant. A brilliant series of bands and arches extended across the sky from XW. to SE., passing 

 through and on both sides of the zenith with a general southward motion. There was much, but 

 not to a remarkable degree, internal vibratory motion. The unitilar magnet was deflected so 

 strongly to the westward that the azimuth circle had to be moved 7 12' to bring it into the field. 

 Xumerons bands and arches, though not very brilliant, succeeded each other rapidly until about S 

 a. m., when the phenomena became less distinct, and about 10.30 a. in. all had faded. The magnets 

 remained in a disturbed condition until 8 a. m. 



December 17 and 18, 1881. lip. m. to 1 p. m. Pale nebulous patches appeared low down in tho 

 X". and XE. and a scarcely perceptible arch accompanied by a few slowly waving rays Conned about 

 12 111, Afterwards patches appeared and disappeared at intervals, and occasional arches were 

 formed, principally low in the NIC. About (J.30 it began to brighten, and a rather, bright arch 

 passed down to the southward and laded away into a band of nebulous haze. After a few min- 

 utes' quiescence a brilliant patch appeared in the SE. and rapidly developed into an irregular cur- 

 tained arch which shot up numerous slender rays, and exhibited very intense activity. In a few 

 minutes it had risen to the zenith, where a brilliant but imperfect corona was formed, which whirled 



