376 EXPEDITION TO POINT BARROW, ALASKA. 



much disturbed and the perturbations were more tliiin usiiiilly intense after sunrise and continued 

 up to noon, local time. 



^[<t>ch 10, 1882, 3 . HI. Commenced about 3 a. in., but very little of it, was seen owing to the 

 cloudiness. There was considerable magnetic disturbance. 



.March 1U, IS.SlJ, 3 it. m. to 5 n.iii. The usual time nf commencement tor .some time back has been, 

 about 3 a. m. (10 p. in. local time). This was ijuite a brilliant display while it remained visible. At 

 4 a. in. there was a very broad irregularly convoluted arch through the zenith from NW. to SB. 

 with a number of scattered whorls. There was little apparent motion, but still constant change; a 

 little before ,"> a. in. the clouds came suddenly up and obscured the sky, but the thinner portions 

 were rendered quite luminous by the light behind them at, 5 a. in., but it was not visible afterwards. 

 The magnets were disturbed. 



March 13, 1882, 1 a. m. to 9 a. m. Appeared as soon as the twilight Lad faded sufficiently to 

 permit it to be visible as a broken and sinuous arch from N. to SE. with an elevation of about 45, 

 which soon afterwards reached the zenith where it remained stationary for a short time, and then 

 passed to the southward. Other arches followed, mostly broken and. bright in places, with occa- 

 sional rays shooting toward the zenith. The general motion was. as usual, from N. to S., but most 

 of the arches that appeared to swing round on their northern end as a pivot until they reached a 

 position running from N. to SW., and an elevation of about 33 or 40, when they became station- 

 ary. After (> a. m. they became paler, but did not wholly disappear uutil the twilight rendered 

 them invisible about 9 a. m. (4 a. m. local time); but slight magnetic disturbance. 



March 14, 1882, G a. in. to9a. m. Probably extensive, but the clouds were very dense and no 

 observation could be Lad. At 6 a. m. and 9 a. m. ligLt shone through near the zenith. The needles 

 were slightly disturbed. 



March 15, 1882, 1 a. m. to 10 a. m. Began probably during dayligLt, for it appeared as a narrow 

 arch high up even before twilight had faded. After this, arch succeeded arch until the approach- 

 ing daylight rendered them invisible. The movement of the arches was in general from N. to S. 

 Sometimes, however, after passing the zenith some of them seemed to pause and retrogade toward 

 the N.. at the same time casting out numerous sboit rays from their upper side and exhibiting a 

 good deal of motion. Sometimes tints of green and rose were visible, but they were faint and trans- 

 ient. Several of the arches on reaching the zenith expanded into broad, irregular canopies which 

 extended down on all sides as muchas 25. Sometimes several arches and irregular shaped curtains 

 appeared at the same time, and faint, almost invisible, rays shot up to the zenith. At times the 

 arches became broken up into numerous broken rays scattered over the sky, but close enough to- 

 gether and with enough parallelism to give them a very peculiar appearance, like patches of 

 luminous .scud swept along by the wind; in fact a kind of luminous or auroral drift. Another 

 peculiarity of those arches was that they did not rise from a low point near the horizon, as was 

 usually the case earlier in the winter, but first appeared as faint rays in various parts of the sky, 

 nnstly in the N. and SE., and then rapidly developed into arcLes mostly rather brilliant but mostly 

 very narrow. There was besides a good deal of the usual haziness, especially towards the south- 

 ward after the arches had passed the zenith. The magnets were somewhat disturbed, but not re- 

 markably so. 



March Hi, I8S2, 3 a. m. to daylight. This was a much more brilliant display than has occurred 

 for some time; the degree of brightness was higher, there was more activity, and the variety of 

 leaf are was greater. For some weeks back the successive phases of the phenomenon followed 

 each other rather slowly, and even the culminations were not characterized by much intensity or 

 brilliance, but on this occasion it was different; there was rapidity of motion both collective and 

 vibratory, and brilliant culminations. The arches, bands, and whorls were very numerous and 

 very irregular both in position and shape, the perfectly arched form being seldom reached until 

 the li'-jlit masses had passed the zenith and become pale to the southward. Sometimes the whole 

 sky overhead was covered with a great field of tleecy light, which after passing through a variety 

 of changes mostly seemed to fade away from the center, while the surrounding margin seemed to 

 sink down tov.unls the horizon like a great ring, which, as il slowly faded, gave birth somewhere 

 in its northern or southeastern quarter to rays or whorls which soon developed into new arches or 

 bauds ami m-w phases of the phenomenon. There were numerous rays, fringes, and curtains, 



