714 THE AURORA BOREALIS. 



The results do not seem to agree with those arrived at by 

 Parry at Port Bowen, that the Aurora does not influence the 

 magnetic needle. At the same time, it must be remembered that 

 the Aurorse at Port Bowen never exhibited the vivid prismatic 

 colours or rapid streams of light, so that Parry only saw that kind 

 of Aurora which, according to Franklin, does not affect the mag- 

 netic needle.] 



3. Parry's Third Voyage. — Winter at Port Bowen. 



The Aurora was observed and recorded 47 times. It usually 

 consisted of an arch sometimes continuous, but more frequently 

 broken into irregular masses of light extending from W. to S.E. 

 (true). Its termination to the S.E. was not visible, as land inter- 

 vened. The altitude of a permanent arch seldom exceeded 15°, and 

 from this arch streamers were generally observed shooting towards 

 the zenith. " The lower edge of the arch was generally well 

 " defined and unbrokeu, and the sky beneath it appeared by con- 

 " trast so exactly like a dark cloud (to me often of a brownish 

 " colour), that nothing at the time of viewing it could well convince 

 " one to the contrary, if the stars shining therewith undiminished 

 " lustre did not discover the deception." 



Note. — This description closely resembles the account of the 

 Aurora as seen by M. Koldewey in the Second Grerman Polar 

 Expedition in East Greenland. {See p. 719.) 



A few of.the more important Auroras are described by Parry 

 (pp. 60, 61), one or two seen just over the land to the S.E. or S. 

 appeared as a single compact mass of brillant yellow light con- 

 stantly varying in intensity, as of numerous streamer-like clouds 

 overlaying one another. He says (p. 62), " While Lieutenants 

 " Sherer and Ross and myself were admiring the extreme 

 " beauty of this phenomenon from the Observatory, we all simul- 

 " taneously uttered an exclamation of surprise at seeing a bright 

 " ray of the Aurora shoot suddenly downward from the general 

 " mass of light, and between us and the land, which was there 

 " distant only 3,000 yards. Had I witnessed this phenomenon 

 " by myself, I should have been disposed to receive with caution 

 " the evidence even of my own senses as to this last fact ; but 

 *' the appearance conveying precisely the same idea to three 

 " individuals at once, all intently engaged in looking towards 

 " the spot, I have no doubt that the ray of light actually passed 

 " within that distance of us." 



On several occasions during Auroras the gold leaf electroscope 

 was applied to a chain attached by glass rods to the sky-sail 

 mast head, with the pointed end of the last link considerably above 

 the mast head and 115 feet above the level of the sea, but not the 

 slightest perceptible eff*ect was observed. 



The variation needles, which were extremely light, suspended 

 in the most delicate manner, and subject to weak directive energy, 

 were never in a single instance sensibly affected by the Aurora, 

 although the needles were visited every hour for some months. 



