THE PRAIRIE MIRAGE 175 



military field-glass we could see the early risers moving through 

 the campground; the horses standing patiently outside awaiting 

 their morning meal; the positions of the pickets keeping guard; 

 the tent doors flapping in the slight breeze or swaying back and 

 forth as the men made egress or entrance. Even the chrling smoke 

 of the newly kindled flame, as it ascended upward, curiously 

 traced itself visibly to the eye." 



I was greatly interested in the mirages of which lowan early 

 settlers have told. And I wanted to know also, how far the 

 mirage could be seen. In answer to my inquiries, Mr. Clement L. 

 Webster, who has for years been collecting pioneer data, writes, 

 "I do not just as this moment recall of my having personally seen 

 one of the mirages in this part of the west (Iowa) but I recall the 

 description which some of the old settlers have given to them, 

 which they saw in the north-central part, and north-west parts of 

 Iowa, in the very early days. As they described them to me, they 

 must have been reflections of the South Dakota prairies. I was 

 very familiar with mirages in the south-west." 



One of the most recent mirages of the north-central Iowa 

 region, of which I have any record, was one which was seen at 

 Charles City, Iowa, by Mrs. Mary Button. " It was November 29th, 

 191 8, or there about, that I saw this reflection," writes Mrs. Button. 

 "I hastily threw a shawl about my shoulders and stood alone in the 

 dingy light of the old attic, in the cold, for one and a half hours, 

 wrapped in awe. I did not realize that time was passing, until my 

 mother became alarmed at my long absence. I found that to view 

 it from the ground gave a distinctly diSerent impression. Our 

 house is on a hill and from the third story window I got the best 

 view. The clouds seemed to change and form di:fferent angles when 

 I got up stairs. The heavens, for the entire circle around was 

 beautifully colored with stripings of pink and green, seemed to 

 glow. This alone was most beautiful. At the movies when they 

 run the pictures and adds so that they appear liks kaleidoscopic 

 bits of color or form, and then seem to slide unbidden to position, 

 until the picture desired has materialized, you have an effect which 

 is not unlike that which is witnessed at the beginning of the reflec- 

 tion. All of the arrangements of cloud and color were finally 

 produced, and the almost perfect reflection was displayed. It 

 remained for analysis and comprehension for some time, practically 

 unchanged, making recognition quite certain, and not allowing 



