Notable Display of Northern Lights. 67 



Notable Display of Northern Lights During 

 the Night of May 4th— 5th, 1900. 



By Mr. Charles J. Stuart. 



The subject of the present note was an exceedingly 

 interesting, and in several respects rather exceptional 

 display of northern lights seen in this locality during 

 the night of May 4th-5th, 1900. 



Everyone is more or less familiar with the general 

 appearance of the aurora, ever suggestive of the lone, 

 mysterious North, and the robust poetic myth of the old 

 Norseman, that the Merry Dancers, as they called these 

 lights, were conducting in triumph the spirits of brave 

 warriors to their Valhalla. 



There is first the gathering arch of light rising slowly 

 from the northern horizon ; then the commencement of 

 " rippling streamers," and dancing " beams " travelling to 

 and fro ; and on rarer occasions the overhead tent-like 

 canopy of nervous fuming light, climbing to the magnetic 

 zenith. In almost every display, the three successive 

 stages can be noticed in some degree at least. In discuss- , 

 ing the present occurrence, the observations divide 

 naturally into two parts or phases. 



In the earlier period, the auroral light was seen to be 

 playing between separate layers of cloud, a thing rare in 

 itself, but, when a second recurrence of the display had 

 fully developed, I made the surprising discovery that the 

 whole mass of light in a succession of six or seven arches, 

 or great scollops, was moving steadily and quite rapidly 

 from west to east across the sky. I thought at the time 

 that the exhibition of such a movement was quite unique, 

 but I have since read in a paper, by Professor Loomis, 

 that displays of aurora borealis have' been seen to move 

 every way, South, North, East, West, and also swing or 



