EXPEDITION TO POINT IJAIMtOVV, ALASKA. 



round and quivered ;ui(l vibrated tor u minute 01 two with iiiti-ii.se rapidity and then slowly moved 

 to the northv.-ard. its coronal charaeterchanging into the irregular c.urlaiu form. There were some 

 beautiful Hashes of rosy red and deep green, but in general the color was an intensely brilliant 

 yellowish white, and the light emitted was such as to render objects distinctly visible half a milo 

 away. The magnets were disturbed, but not extremely. At s ; i. in. the greater portion of the sky 

 seemed covered by a faintly luminous haze, and a very pah- circle of diffused light exlcndedall around 

 the skv at an elevation of a few degrees abo\ e the liorixon. After this only occasional streaks 

 and patches appeared until about 1 p. in., when it disappeared. 



Ih-t-emhrr is mill lit. 1SS1, 10,'tQ p. m. to 1.30 p. in. A very taint arch formed in the XE., low- 

 down, which rose slowly with a few flickering rays shooting from its upward side, and at 12 in. its 

 highest point just touched Cor Caroli in Canes Venatici. After this there was but little display 

 other than a few straggling patches and rays scattered irregularly over the sky until about 8 a. m., 

 when the brightness increased considerably and streamers appeared in various parts of the sky. 

 Several narrow bands or arches rose from the X. and NE., broke up into irregular curtains, and 

 finally passed down to the south, when they faded away into a land of faintly luminous haze. The 

 magnetic needles were deflected to the W. An intermittent period again intervened until about 10 

 a. in., when another period of brilliancy occurred. Several bright curtains and streamers appeared 

 in the S. and W. but did not exhibit mu'ch apparent motion. The magnets were again deflected, 

 this time, to the E. After this uo.noticeable features appeared, and at 1.30 p. in. a few pale bands 

 were visible in the zenith, but they soon disappeared before the brightening twilight. 



December 19 and 20, 1881, 11 p. m. to 11 . m. Auroral light pale and diffused and appearing 

 in the NE. as usual, but rather unusually stretching thence as a broad diffused band towards the 

 W. At 11.30 this band faded away into a kind of luminous haze, which covered the greater part 

 of the sky. and across this, stretching from Uoo'tes down to the S\V.. two parallel black bands 

 appeared, which slowly rose towards the zenith, still retaining t he same shape and relative positions 

 and looking exactly like a jet-black aurora. They possessed all the characteristics of ordinary 

 auroral bands except the color, and occasionally rays of shadow, if I may use the expression, 

 streamed from their upper side, much the same as rays of light ordinarily do from auroral arches. 

 The cause of this phenomenon seemed to be that two long rents appeared in the luminous haze 

 and took and maintained for a considerable time the form of long bands stretching across the sky. 

 They were certainly not streaks of cloud, for the stars shone brighter through them than in any 

 part of the neighboring sky: their motion was not that of cloud, and their black color was given by 

 contrast with the surrounding luminous haze. After passing the zenith they disappeared, bnt 

 afterwards nothing appeared, for several hours other than a few nebulous patches here and there, 

 and the faintly luminous haze, which still remained unchanged as long as it could be observed, 

 observation being rendered ditlienlt by the increasing cloudiness. From S to 10 a. m. several 

 bands appeared through the clouds in and near the zenith, and during that time the magnets were 

 very much disturbed. Last traces observed at 11 a. m. 



])fccml>fr 20 ,t<l^\. 1SS1. II />. m. t<> 10., 'Id <i. m. Faint nebulous masses of faint light low down 

 in the XE., which soon expanded into a narrow still arch running from Arctnrns through Canes 

 Ycnatici and down until lost in the haze in the SI-]. It rose very slowly, and as it approached the 

 zenith divided into two, and afterwards into several, which passed towards the S., where they faded 

 into a nebulous haze and at J.I 5 of the L'lst nearly all the visible sky was covered with bands, 

 patches, and imperfect arches, the general direction of which was from X\V. to SE. This con- 

 dition of things remained until about 1(1 a. m., when there was a brilliant burst of short duration, 

 consisting chiefly of vertical rays in extremely rapid motion, and converging towards the zenith 

 where a brilliant but imperfect corona was formed, lasting for a few minutes. A brond waving 

 band moved up rapidly from the X. and collected into a mass at the zenith, and passed as rapidly 

 to the SK. The brightness was fully t, and the colors principally while and yellow with tinges of 

 green and rose on the edges. Magnets much disturbed. 1'nitilar deflected towards the east. Ill 

 about twenty minutes the display was over, and all that remained \\cre numerous patches of light 

 all round the horizon, which soon also disappeared. 



l>f'fciiihi'i- L'l mill I'l', 1SS1. II) f>. in. to 1 /*. in. As has been usual for some time back in the com- 

 mencement of auroras, a few tloeculent patches of hazy light appeared low down in the XK., which 



