1884.] 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY, — LOG-BOOK, 



323 



July 28. — At 21 h the sky was covered with a pallium 

 of stratus, and the valleys filled with fog, but to the west 

 there was a distinct edge of light shining between the two 

 layers. 



July 31. — -At 23 h and midnight rain in curiously large 

 isolated drops. 



August 1. — At 2 h the top and surrounding hills were 

 clear, but fog lay over the moor of Rannoch. At 4 h fog 

 hung in patches on the southern hills, and the clouds seemed 

 to be closing down on Ben Nevis. At 6 h light fog was 

 passing over the top, and for the rest of the day it was 

 covered with dense fog or mist. 



August 6. — From 22 h to midnight the moon shone 

 brightly ; the sky under it, down to the haze that hid the 

 horizon, was of a brown colour, similar to the hazy brown 

 colour seen round the sun. 



August 7. — At 18 h a few drops of " thunder rain " fell. 



August 8. — At 20 h thermometers 50852 and 50850 

 were put out in large box (old clock-box), as dry and wet, 

 with max. 117293 and min. 116918. At 9 h 45 m max. 

 138590 and min. 138533 were taken in from small box 

 on ladder. At midnight badly defined corona. Faint 

 lightning seen from 23 h to l h on 9th. 



August 9. — Heavy cumulus and haze round horizon all 

 day. At 19 h fog came up from Glen Nevis and covered 

 the top. 



Greenish August 10. — At 2 U a dim lunar corona 



White observed. Colours as in margin. Cum. 



Yellow fog at horizon and over lower hills all day. 



August 12. — At 3 h badly defined lunar 

 corona, red outside. Radius of red = 2° 50'. 



Red 



D 



August 13. — Faint sheet lightning at l h . 



August 17. — In early morning dense fog in valleys ; at 

 8 1 ' this fog was observed to be rising and covering the hill 

 tops. 



August 20. — At 6 h the sky was clear except for some 

 light cirrus ; the lower hills almost completely buried in 

 cumulus fog; and the sky, below the sun, of a purple hue. 



August 25. — The two following extra observations were 

 made : — 





Bar. 



Dry. 



Wet. 



Wind. 



Force. 



Cloud. 



22 h 30 m 



25-573 



32-0 



32-0 



S.E. 



1 



Mist. 



23» 30™ 



25-567 



31-9 



32-0 



N.NE. var. 



0-1 



Mist. 



At 23 h 30 m heavy gusts were heard at the east end of 

 the hill, not coincident with and evidently much stronger 

 than those passing the observatory. 



August 27. — At 2 h faint aurora observed about 30° 

 above horizon to westward. At 3 h the aurora was flashing 

 all over the western sky. Meteors observed at 2 h 19 m , 2 h 

 23 m , and at 2 h 12 m . 



}) August 31.— At 21 h 12 m a double lunar 



White corona and a lunar fog-bow were observed. 



Yellow Colours of corona as in margin. Radius 



Blue of outer red = 4° 32', inner = 2° 15'. 



Green Sept. 3. — At 23 h a large double lunar 



Yellow corona was observed. 



Red Sept. 4.— Thunder was heard at 14 h 4 m , 



at 18 h 2 m , and below in valley to S.E. at 18 h 7 m . Heavy 

 hail fell at 18 h 32 m . Meteor seen at midnight. 



Sept. 11. — At l h corona observed. Radius of red ring 

 3° 22', yellow inside the red ring, and having outside the 

 red a blue margin. This corona was formed on thin scud 

 passing over the hill ; the margin was only seen when the 

 scud was very thin. 



TRANS. ROY. SOC. EDIN. VOL. XXXIV. 



Sept. 13. — At 19 h 20 m the sky after sunset was crossed 

 by streamers radiating upwards, of a mauve colour, and 

 extending to about 30°. Before this there had been 

 merely red, green, and violet above the haze to westward, 

 and a mauve glow to eastward. At 21 h aurora observed ; 

 single arch, no streamers, giving green band in spectrum 

 distinctly. At 22 u the aurora had no streamers, but had 

 two pendants hanging from it, sloping westwards. At 

 midnight the lower edge had greatly lost its sharpness of 

 definition, but streamers were rising from the western part 

 of it, to a height of about 60°. These streamers appeared 

 to be very long and thin. 



Sept. 14. — At l h the aurora was well defined, with a 

 wavy lower edge. No streamers, but waves or pulsations 

 of light at intervals. This continued till 4 h , after which 

 hour it gradually faded away. Very fine and clear all 

 morning, but with a reddish-brown haze round and under 

 sun, forming a rude corona at times. Beautiful sunset, 

 but no streamers or distinct glow observed. Aurora again 

 visible — at 22 h it formed a single well-defined arch, with- 

 out streamers, but with two bright patches below it in the 

 dark space. For the rest of the night it was seen dimly 

 through fog, and apparently did not alter in character. 



Sej)t. 17. — Meteor seen at l h 7 m , about 40° above 

 horizon to the S.S.E. In the afternoon glories were 

 seen on the fog in the valley to north. Red outside, with 

 yellow, green, blue, inwards. At times, a faint outer one 

 seen ; but they all were too evanescent for measure- 

 ment. 



Sept. 18.— At l h 3 m A B C telegraph indicator was 

 moved forward four letters. At 10 h solar halo with colours 

 observed. Radius roughly about 20°. B , 



Sept. 19. — At 5 h the eastern horizon was Greenish 

 coloured as indicated in margin. Sun rose Yellow 

 at 5 lx 55 m . At 8 1 ' red haze round sun of Dark red 

 about 20° diameter. At 9 h sky hazy round Honzon 

 sun, pale dirty white at horizon, and deep blue at zenith. 



<S'e/>£. 20. — At 15 h glories seen on fog, very similar to 

 those observed on Sept. 17. At about 22 h 5 m a large 

 round black cumulus cloud came up from the S.W., with 

 velocity 5, and went almost directly over the top of the 

 hill, spread itself out forming a pallium. 



Sept. 22. — Began to experiment with new rain-gauges 

 with opening in side. 



Oct. 4. — Fine morning ; red and purple colours in sky 

 between sun and horizon. While the moon was partially 

 eclipsed, a strong double corona appeared round it. 



Oct. 5. — At l h 15 m fog-bow, double, observed. Badii 

 approximately 36° and 32°. At l h 30 m triple corona ob- 

 served. Radius of 1st ring, 2° 0'; 2nd, 3° 5'; 3rd, 4° 20'. 

 These numbers are only rough. All day the lower hills 

 were buried in a level sheet of fog. Reddish haze under 

 sun and moon. Beautiful sunset. Meteor seen to S.E. 

 at midnight. 



Oct. 6. — At 6 h eastern sky coloured as Fink 



indicated on margin. Day very quiet and Pink streamers 



warm. After sunset, at 18 h , orange, yellow, Jt?!*™*^ raA 

 ' ' in Red-orange-red 



green, and pink colours to westward, borne 



streamers in the pink. At 19 h dark red and pale green 



showing. Apparently no afterglow. At 14 h a wasp was 



seen on the top. 



Oct. 12. — Lunar corona at 5 h . Colours 



The outer blue in coronas of 



Blue 

 Red 



as m margin. XUe outer Dlue in coronas ot jy ue 



this type forms a distinct margin or glare. }) 



3 It 



