Notable Display of Northern Lights. 71 



were thinning or evaporating, and soon only remained 

 visible in the brightest light. 



The lower or stratus clouds were illuminated on the 

 upper side, while the cirrus clouds with enough body to 

 show a shadow, were illuminated on the under side mostly, 

 although often, as it were, appeared bathed in light — 

 whereas the under side of the low-lying stratus bank 

 appeared very dark by contrast. The development of the 

 several stages of the aurora was exceedingly rapid and 

 brilliant. The beaming or streamer state, which followed 

 the first break of the clouds within five minutes, showed 

 a distinct tendency to gather about and play between 

 high and low masses of cloud, and under the action, the 

 upper " fluff'" looked to melt, or at any rate perceptibly 

 diminish in density. The light toward the lower cloud 

 bank w 7 as brighter, but that may have been from looking 

 into a greater depth, or field of illumination ; otherwise 

 the light showed no very unusual phase, except that the 

 principal zone of light played in a space apparently 

 between two layers of cloud, and was simply the familiar 

 to and fro dancing streamers. The light on the whole 

 was very brilliant. In dark nooks, where the city arc- 

 lamps did not interfere, I could see a cast shadow at 

 times. The fuming or flickering state soon came on, but 

 I noticed that this did not occur where masses of high 

 cirrus cloud still appeared. When the fuming light 

 reached the zenith, the patches showed an irregular 

 streak, or mark, like long wisps lying W. and E., some- 

 what like " mare's tails." Several of these masses of 

 distinct form were observed to recur. They lighted up at 

 intervals, roughly, of two or three seconds, and across the 

 stars showed a motion from W. to E. by S. (this motion 

 is the usual thing when it can be observed). I take it 

 that these were the remains of cirrus clouds seen as such 

 previously, but now not thick enough to show as clouds 

 at night. Four "shooting stars" were noticed all radiating 



