194 



18th, 20.15 No definite aurora, only a very faint luminosity 

 surrounding the slopes of Mount Erebus. 



22.30 A nebulous auroral patch on the horizon due E. A 

 faint luminous glow on the horizon-haze 10° up 

 in the W. and S. 

 19th, 15.00 A curtain seen from Hut Point to the S.E. 



17.40 Aurora commenced in the S.E. as a faint curtain 

 of thin streamers. The streamers were very high, 

 reaching 25° above the horizon in the vicinity of 

 Mount Erebus. The .streamers became stronger 

 and black lines appeared to be a real phenomenon : 

 they were distinctly darker than the general sky* 

 and visible for two or three minutes only. 



18.30 The display in the E.S.E. continued and the cur- 

 tain rose 15° above the horizon, and appeared 

 to trend S. by W. A long curtain eventually 

 formed a semicircle around the E. and S. of 

 Mount Erebus. Faint streamers rose occasion- 

 ally above the summit of the mountain, and 

 associated with these were black rays. After 18.30 

 only a very little aurora remained on the N. slope 

 of Mount Erebus. 



19.45 Aurora almost completely absent. A very faint 

 luminous glow over the Ross Island highlands, 

 and an almost invisible streamer rising above the 

 horizon in the E.N.E. 



20.10 Aurora becoming stronger. 



20.20 An aurora of the first magnitude along the Mount 

 Erebus slopes extending from N. to S. Streamers 

 strongly developed and rising to 45°. Each of 

 the streamers as it developed first established 

 itself above in great brilliance, then extended 

 downwards and appeared to drop some of its 

 luminescence. The excitation travelled from N. 

 to S., with very little body-movement, but 

 an apparent creep towards the N.W. The highest 

 streamers uniformly appeared following the out- 

 line of the backbone of Ross Island. When at its 

 brightest the curtain showed a crimson lower 

 selvage. There was even a coloured border faintly 

 seen on some of the vertical streamers (colour 

 banding in vertical direction). 



20.50 A curtain composed of a succession of isolated high 

 streamers appeared to trend N.N.W. across the 

 eastern sky 15° up. 



21.15 A curtain 25° up in the E. appeared to trend N.W. 



22.00 A curtain seen on the horizon from N.N.E. to S.S.E. 



23.00 A faint glow over the E. horizon. The curtains seen 

 earlier in the evening appeared to have retreated 

 to the E. 

 20th, 00.40 A bright curtain extended from over Cape Barne 

 to a point 60° up E. of the zenith and concave on 

 Mount Erebus. A second curtain appeared .some- 

 what E. of the main one, also a small bright 

 branch showed up over Cape Bird. 

 2.00 A curtain extended from N.W. to S. Patches of 

 curtains in the N., E., and S. One high streamer 

 in the N.E. rising to a. height of 30°. 



