154 
NATURE 
[ApriL 11, 1912 
ments for the eclipse, transit observations were being 
conducted for time and position, meteorological 
observations were being made at fixed times, and con- 
tinuous records were being secured by a barograph, 
thermograph, and hygrograph. 
In order to eliminate any doubt as to the possible 
inaccuracy of the computed times of the contacts of 
the limbs of the sun and moon, and also to give 
certain prescribed signals to those observers whose 
programmes necessitated them, a special telescope 
was set up (in conjunction with the siderostat of the 
6-in. prismatic camera) to throw an image of the sun 
on a previously marked disc. The face of this disc 
was so graduated as to enable the observer to esti- 
mate the angle subtended at the centre of the dark 
moon by the remaining bright crescent of the un- 
eclipsed portion of the sun; previous calculations had 
shown that when the crescent subtended angles of 
go°, 45°, and 30°, there remained 42, 9, and 4 seconds 
respectively before totality began. This method only 
holds good when clouds do not obstruct the view of 
the sun. 
In order to allow for the contingency of second 
contact not being seen on account of clouds, the 
observer was furnished with a deck-watch to give all 
the necessary signals at their computed times. The 
10 minutes before totality (wind | 
clocks, caps off, lamps lit)... Bugle 
5 minutes before totality... | > | 
42 seconds ich 3 blasts (whistle) | 
|2 
9 ry «| 2 
| ** Rouse up” 
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9 
Yotality begins, ‘¢217” on| 
eclipserclockun a:..uutss-t eae 
Totality ends, ‘0” on eclipse 
clock oes Pht | 
Voice 
” 
Eclipse day, April 28, or, as we had not altered our 
date since we crossed the ‘date line,’’ April 20, 
dawned. It was a cloudy morning, and too cloudy to 
make one believe that it would clear up for the 
eclipse. 
The lecturer here referred in the main to the account 
of eclipse day which he gave previously in these 
columns (vol. Ixxxvi., p. 567, June 22, 1911). 
The following table shows the observed and calcu- 
lated times, and it will be seen that second contact 
occurred about 23 seconds before the expected time, 
and the duration of totality was nearly five seconds 
shorter than was anticipated :— 
f 
— | Contacts Duration 
Second Third 
; | h. m. S. h. m. S Tee Se 
Calculated (Downing) ... | 9 37. 1°7| 9 40 38°5 3 36°8 
Observed (Lockyer)... 9 36 38°6| 9 40 10°77 3) 32h 
Difference... re 22/Ta| 27'8 4°7 
Large differences of time were experienced also by 
the Australian observers, whose time arrangements 
were quite independent of those of my party. 
With the spectroscopic cameras of my party. prac- 
tically no results of any value were secured, while in 
the case of the coronagraphs nearly all the negatives 
displayed strong images of the clouds which marred 
the coronal streamers. Only two of the large number 
of plates exposed are of value, and these are restricted 
to the structure of the lower corona. 
There is little doubt that the gradual 
NO. 2215, VOL. 89] 
fall of 
temperature during the eclipse, which was found to 
be 5° F., favoured the conditions of cloud formation 
in such a humid atmosphere, and thus prevented us 
from making satisfactory observations. 
The work of all the other groups, such as those 
for sketching the corona, for the observation of the 
shadow hands, shadow phenomena, &c., was all for 
the main part spoilt by the presence of the clouds, in 
spite of the care taken in widely distributing the 
parties. Some interesting observations were, how- 
ever, made by those who watched the behaviour of 
animals, &c. 
While my party, together with that of Father 
Cortie, fared very badly, the Australian observers 
were more fortunate, and Mr. Worthington and his 
staff more fortunate still. With regard to the results 
secured by these parties, I can only show you in the 
Fic. 3.—H.M.S. Encounter weighing anchor at Suva, Fiji, after 
landing the S, P.O. observing party. 
case of the Australian observers a combined sketch 
carefully made from Mr. Dodwell’s negatives and 
visual observations. This shows clearly the extensive 
equatorial streamers and the open spaces at the solar 
poles filled with the beautiful forms of the polar 
plumes. This corona is undoubtedly one of the 
“minimum” type, representing the wind-vane form. 
When this was compared with the sketch I made at 
the time of the eclipse, it was seen that both were 
in fair agreement in most of the main features. 
Through the kindness of Mr. Worthington, I have 
been allowed to show you some of the beautiful results 
which he secured. Unfortunately, like us, he did not 
obtain any spectra, although he was equipped with 
a very fine instrument specially adapted for the ultra- 
violet region of the spectrum, but, unlile us, he was 
compensated by success on other lines. Both the long 
