56 REPORT — 1871. 



On the Inferences drawn hy Drs. Magnus and Tyndall from their Experiments 

 on the liadiant Properties of Vapour. By E.. Euhsell. 



Tlie tiutlior agreed in tlie main with Tj'ndall's deductions. He endeavoured to 

 show that vapour of water had no power of transmitting its radiant heat into space. 

 This proposition was supported hy arguments from various natural phenomena. 



I 



On Parhelia, or Moch Suns, observed in Ireland. 

 By William A. Tkaill, of the Geological Survey of Ireland. 



The autlior hegan by stating that the above phenomena were analogous to the 

 araselena3 or mock moons, and though of not unfi-eqnent occurence in northern 

 atitudes, were in these countries of great rarity. Tlie phenomena observed by 

 him were seen on the 28th of January, 1869, near the village of Strangford (Co. 

 Down), lat. 54° 21', long. 5° 35', west of Greenwich, and first appeared as three 

 brilliant suns situated in the same horizontal line, about 15° to 20° above the 

 horizon, and of equal brightness. The two outer, or mock suns, gradually assumed 

 tlie prismatic colours, and lengthening out joined above, thus forming the '' ordinary 

 halo," in which the red colour was nearest to the real sun. Concentric and exterior 

 to it was another prismatic halo, the " extraordinary halo/' which was rather 

 fainter, in which also the red colour was innermost. 



Touching this latter externally was the " circumzeuithal halo," which was by 

 far the most brilliant of the three, lying as if horizontally overhead. In this like- 

 wise the red colour was next the sun, thus forming the outer periphery of the halo. 

 The phenomena began a little after 2 p.m., and lasted only for about half an hour, 

 attaining its greatest splendour at 2'' 20™ p.m. 



Throughout the dm-ation of the phenomena the sky was of a clear blue colour, 

 and almost unobscured ; a few light fleecy clouds were, however, drifting northward, 

 slight " cirrus '' clouds stretched across part of the sky, from E. to W., a"nd through- 

 out the svhole time the points where the mock suns had first appeared continued 

 the brightest. 



With regard to the state of the weather at the time, the day was mild and fine, 

 no rain falling till the evening. The sun was warm, but a cold southerly wind 

 prevailed. The moon was full on the previous day, and exceptionally high spring- 

 tides occun-ed along the N.E. portion of the Irish' coast. 



The barometer fell rapidly -7 inch within twelve hours. The wind veered round 

 gradually through 140', and increased in velocity from G to 38 miles an hour, the 

 thermometer ranging from 42^ to 46°, and towards evening the rain descended in 

 torrents*. The succeeding ten days or fortnight was characterized by excessively 

 bad weather, rain, and storms. 



The autlior lastly touched on the different theories by which these phenomena 

 could be most easily accounted for. 



The Progress of Science. 



Government Action on Scientific Questions. 

 By Lieut.-Col. A. Strange, F.B.S., F.B.A.S. 



The author called attention to the number, variety, and importance of those 

 national duties, involving Science, which can be performed bv the Executive 

 Government alone. He pointed out that the English Government possesses 

 as yet no provision for regulating the performance of these duties in a systematic 

 manner. He niaintaiued that the requisite provision must consist of two addi- 

 tions to the existing administration, neither of which, however, imaccompanied 

 by the other would suffice— namely, first, a Minister of Science ; and, second, 

 * From Observations at the Armagh Observatory. 



