1883.] 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY. — LOG-BOOK. 



31 



Nov. 28. — A weasel to-day came and looked in at 

 window about 14 h 30 m . Max. ther. No. 48026 (Negretti 

 and Zambra) was broken in setting at 17 h . 



Dec. 1. — Glory seen at 9 h 15™ (see fig. 1). Red outside 

 in both rings. Smaller one almost filled up by shadow of 

 head. Radius of red outer ring =2°. At ll h 10 m and 

 12 h m white fog-bow — apparently same size as ordinary 

 rainbow. When very bright it was coloured red outside. 

 Too large to measure by stephanome. Got water from 

 Wragge's well by digging away snow. 



Dec. 3. — At l h outside observations had to be given up 

 till morning, as the snow was drifting in faster than one 

 man could clear it out. 



Dec. 6. — Fine all day, with fog and mist in valleys. 

 Sunset red and green. Light from sunset sky gives 

 strong atmospheric bands in spectrum, and at same time 

 light from upper side of layer of fog gives only green part 

 of spectrum. Blue is wanting both in it and in the sunset 

 light. Corona round moon all evening. Red outside ; 

 radius 2° 8'. Occasionally an outer circle of bluish colour 

 extending from red ring outwards to a radius of about 

 4° was visible. These measurements were taken at 

 20 h 15 m . 



Dec. 7. — Shifted thermometer boxes, putting out fresh 

 small one with dry and wet No. 7. Min. No. 138545, 

 Max. No. 138590. Bulbs of dry and wet about 60 inches 

 above snow. At 13 u snow crystals of feathery form were 

 falliug. 



Dec. 9.- — At 7 h lightning rod was examined, and the 

 crystals of drifted snow were found to form a thin slab, no 

 thicker than the diameter of rod, pointing towards S.W., 

 showing the wind had been steady. The hourly records 

 for the night giving the wind as observed at iron cage, 

 although mostly giving S.W. as direction, have some 

 entries of W. and S.S.W. 



Dec. 11. — Telegraph bell rung by earth current at 20 u 

 2 m and at 20 h 8 m , insulation not injured. At 18 h the 

 doors were so blocked with drift that no outside observa- 

 tion was taken. One was made with considerable difficulty 

 at 19 h , and then the door closed for the night. The wind 

 was S.W. at 19 h , and at 9 h on the 12th was N. This 

 change probably took place early, as the fire smoked badly 

 all night, which it does with N. winds. 



Dec. 12. — Bulbs of thermometers in box were buried in 

 snow up to 17 h . Wind very high all day. Snow drifted 

 into box. The bulbs of dry and wet were not cleared of 

 snow till after 17 h observation. 



Dec. 13. — At 2 h rain was falling, and air felt much 

 milder than indicated by thermometers. At 16 h rain fall- 

 ing on box froze as it touched it, forming a skin of ice. 

 At I7 h rain turned into hail, which continued till 21 h , 

 when snow began. 



Dec. 14. — At 16 h hinges were taken off outer door, and 

 screwed on inside. In consequence, no observation was 

 taken at 17 h . The late thaw covered the pavement at 

 outer door with about an inch of slush ; this froze hard, 

 and needed to be hacked away with a hammer. 



Dec. 15. — To-day an arched porch of snow was begun 

 over east door. 



Dec. 16. — Heavy snow at night and in early morning. 

 Depth at cage over 100 inches. During day strong N. 

 and N.E. winds which swept snow away from roof and E. 

 and W. sides of house. The depth at cage was reduced 

 from 108 to 60 inches in less than 20 hours; the parts 



where it was beaten hard by our feet — as on track from 

 door to cage— standing 5 to 10 inches above general level. 

 At 8 h sky to N. (only part clear) was green. At night 

 sky covered with detached masses of low misty cloud 

 driving over hill top. 



Dec. 17. — In early morning and also at night corona 

 seen : at 2 h double ring, red outside in both. 



At 22 h triple ring, red outside in all three. Radius of 

 middle red, 1° 45'. Also lunar rainbow, white, radius 26° 

 (colours, if any, very faint). At midnight faint corona. 

 Lunar fog-bow at 23 h too large to measure. Drizzling 

 rain came on at 18 h , with a temperature of 25°. 



Dec. 18. — Badly defined corona at 6 h . Red outside. 

 Radius = 2°. 



Dec. 19. — At 13 h thermometers taken into house, and 

 fitted to other small box. Put out again at 14 h 2 m . 

 Hence no temperature readings at 14 h , and no max. 

 reading at 15 h . A tin box painted white was placed under 

 thermometer box, and at 17 h 20 m the thermograph was 

 put into it and the box shut tight. By 21 h the west side 

 of tin box was covered with ice ; but by 22 h ice almost 

 gone. (It had been rain since 17 h , and a thaw came on 

 gradually.) 



Dec. 21. — This morning at 6 h Mr Omond's watch, the 

 only timepiece at present in the Observatory, ran down, 

 not having been wound. It was not observed for about 

 half an hour, and then put on by guess. In consequence 

 the 7 h and 8 h observations were taken at 7 h 5 m and 8 h 5 m 

 respectively — and in consequence of inaccurate time sent 

 up from Fort William the 9 h and 10 h observations were 

 taken at 8 h 55 m and 9 h 55 m respectively. 



Dec. 22. — At 21 h snow lying in large wreaths; a tail to 

 S.S.E. of cairn. 



Dec. 23.— 12 h 30 m cir.-str. seen to S. Reddish hue 

 round sun ; diameter about 15°. At 15 h 10 m sun 

 sank into cloud bank. As it went down semicircle of 

 colours formed over edge of cloud bank, red outside, like 

 badly defined corona. Sky above covered with brokm 

 stratus, and not coloured at all. Snow has accumulated in 

 deep drifts near house. 



Dec. 24. — Rain began at midnight on 23rd, and con- 

 tinued all 24th. Snow crystals on box and ladder turned 

 to ice, and at 7 h on 24th were melting away. 



Dec. 25. — Very fine day. Air dry and warm. At 8 h 

 yellow sky to E. At 8 h 15 m whole east sky from N.E. to 

 S.E. green near horizon, blue higher up, and violet towards 

 zenith. Filmy cirrus to E. Very beautiful. At noon 

 sky cleared, and sun shone all afternoon. Fog or cloud 

 covered lower hills, and filled valleys all afternoon. It rose 

 sometimes as high as the Plateau of Storms, but was 

 mostly below 3000 feet on Ben Nevis. Not another hill 

 showed through it, however. Fleeting badly defined 

 glories seen all afternoon on fog in north valley. Red 

 always outside. 16 h very fine red sunset. Earth shadow 

 seen to E. 17 h red streak to W. Pale green above. Dark 

 blue sky. 2 1 h 7 m meteor seen. Brightness = Jupiter. No 

 sound or sparks ; moved from point S.S.W., 40° elevation 

 to point S.W. by W. 25° elevation, where it disappeared 

 in cloud bank. Bluish. Everything outside dried up. 

 Ropes all slack. 



Dec. 26. — Very fine views of sky and clouds. Sky at 

 sunrise very red. Sky under sun continued red or copper 

 coloured all day. At horizon, at right angles to direction of 

 sun, sky blue ; opposite sun, near horizon, green. These 



