TBAJ^-SIT OP VENUS. 101 



fully accepted it, and I think in common with nearly all observers, 

 expected to see the planet distorted, and drawn into a pear shape 

 as it left the sun's edge ; and then instantly become surrounded 

 with a band of sun-light : a phenomena the exact time of w^hich 

 could have been easily determined, but instead of this a set of 

 wholly unexpected phenomena presented themselves. 



As the planet encroached on the sun, the cusps remained per- 

 fectly sharp until near the time of contact of the limbs, when a 

 curious hazy appearance became developed, and rendered it im- 

 possible, in spite of all efforts, to see exactly what was going on. 

 Most, if not all the observers, thought the drop was forming, but 

 close attention only revealed a gradual disappearance of the haze 

 until the sun's and planet's limbs were left perfectly clear and 

 sharply defined with a thread of sunlight between them. 



Eev. W. Scott says, in reference to this point : — " I continued 

 to watch the planet for more than three minutes, and saw the 

 partial obscuration of the sun's limb by the planet's atmosphere 

 gradually diminishing until it disappeared altogether." 



Mr. MacDonnell says : — " As Yenus proceeded, the shadowy- 

 envelope disappeared, except between the planet and the sun's 

 limb, where it seemed to fill up the space between them with faint 

 rings concentric with the planet's edge. There was no distinct 

 rupture of this appearance, the light seeming to go in and out 

 several times." Professor Liversidge says, — " A faint, hazy, gray 

 filament like a streak of smoke was momentarily observed between 

 the edge of the planet and the sun ; it was very obscure and ill- 

 defined." 



My own report for ingress is as follows : — At 12h. 20m. indi- 

 cations of distortion or bad definition of the limbs in contact 

 appeared, like a mass of black wool laid over the place (see 

 diagram 1), rendering it impossible to see distinctly, and making 

 the cusps very hazy. I thought the drop was going to form, and 

 watched very closely for it, and for apparent contact, but I found 

 it extremely diflicult to make up my mind about the latter, and 

 saw nothing of the former. 12h. 20m. 51s. was noted as a very 

 unsatisfactory ajjparent contact. The cusps after this appeared to 

 clear up, or improve in definition, and as they approached each 

 other the sharpness was very remarkable. 



At egress, after the limbs had made contact, a curious phenomenon 

 presented itself similar to that remarked at ingress, the two limbs 

 at the point of contact seemed to get confused, or badly defined, 

 ■whether from atmospheric causes near us or some peculiarity 

 about Venus I am unable to say, but it seemed to disturb the 

 definition of the planet at the point of contact in a most remark- 

 able way. 



Mr. Lenehan says — " At the time of ingress there was an indis- 

 tinct shading between the supposed edge of the planet and the 



