January loth, rSc^gi] PROCEEDINGS. vii 



Ordinary Meeting, January loth, 1899. 

 James Cosmo Melvill, M.A., F.L.S., President, in the Chair. 



The thanks of the members were voted to the donors of the 

 books upon the table. 



Mr. C. L. Barnes called attention to a paper by Dr. 

 VVollaston in the Philosophical Transactions for 1824, "On the 

 apparent direction of eyes in a portrait." The difference between 

 portraits in this respect is well known, the eyes appearing either 

 to follow a spectator all round the room, or to be always looking 

 in some other direction. Dr. Wo Hasten shews that the effect is 

 partly due to the apparent direction of the eyes considered by 

 themselves, and partly to the perspective of the nose and other 

 portions of the face. In the volume referred to are several 

 plates in which the same eyes can be viewed in connection with 

 different faces, and the change in the apparent direction is most 

 marked. Other descriptions of a similar kind are also illustrated 

 and explained. 



Dr. Bowman called attention to a small light streak on the 

 upper limb of the moon when totally echpsed on the 27th of 

 December ; the position appeared to be about what would be 

 represented by eleven o'clock on a dial, and had a small indent 

 in the centre^ The brightness was much greater than the 

 remainder of the copper-coloured surface, and the phenomenon 

 was never observed to entirely disappear during the whole time 

 of totality. Mr. Tristram noticed the same phenomenon during 

 the earlier stage of the totality. 



Mr. GwYTHER mentioned that he had seen a lunar halo, 

 lasting for a short time only, just after 10-30 on the night of 

 the 28th of December. 



