162 TRANSIT OF MERCURY. 
here would be different from what it was at ingress,—it tends 
to make the time sooner by bridging over the narrow streak of 
sunlight before the actual contact. If, therefore, we take a mean 
Lenehan, 4.25s.; Wright, 3.00s.; Morris, 16.00; Hargrave, 
0.09s.; Bladen, 23.64s.; Brooks, 8.59s. Mr. Bladen seems to 
be again late, and in this case also waited till he was quite sure 
_ there ws no trace of the planet, which, when the definition was 
bad, as it then was at Katoomba, would mean waiting for some 
seconds after the last of the planet was seen. The computed 
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nearly so good).” It is noteworthy that Mr. Brooks meee 
Hargrave both saw this three minutes after ingress. ide the 
curved within the limb of Mercury, were seen on the pa 
few seconds at a time, something like the shading st pe 
whenever the definition improved, these at once ne at at 
the impression I had at the time was that I was looking to 
optical illusion, caused by the vibration of the air whi ‘did 
posed rapidly on my retina the dark planet and bright looked 
not at any time see a spot of light in the centre, < Janet.” 
most carefully for it, as well as for the aureola round | gat is 4 
Amongst astronomers, the general impression be es so that We 
subjective phenomenon, but it is time it was explal ysical con- 
may know whether it is something pointing to the ph 
dition of Mercury, or the observer. the aurea; 
In the transit of 1878, most of the observers saw ST only 
but of the seven New South Wales observers of this 
