BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY. — LOG-BOOK. 



337 



Same lialo observed at 12 h . 



Radius, 



23° 44'; 21 



Dense haze 



coming up 



afternoon. 





Solar halo at 13 h also : — 



Radius, 



21° 48'. 



)> 



21° 24'. 



v 



22° 24'. 



>> 



21° 13'. 



)> 



22° 12'. 



22° 



24'. 



23° 



3'. 



21° 



48'. 



22° 



0'. 



22° 



12'. 



13'; 22° 12'. 

 from S.W. beyond Mull in 



Radius, 



Horizon very dark, and sky mirky at night. 



Mar. 8. — Brown crystals forming out of passing fog in 

 afternoon. 



Mar. 9. — Dense haze round horizon all day. At 17 h 

 three layers of upper clouds were observed. The highest 

 was moving from W.N.W., the middle from S.W., and 

 the lowest from S.E. The lowest appeared to be fed from 

 above. The clouds came lower down in the evening, and 

 then disappeared. 



Mar. 10. — Thermometers shifted at 2 h 8 m and again at 

 3 h 8 m . At 6 1 ", before sunrise, eastern horizon very red and 

 reddish-brown glow on under surface of thin cirrus clouds. 

 At 17 h fog crystals slightly brown in colour were forming. 



Mar. 11. — No brown colour under sun in forenoon, but 

 faint colour in afternoon, and pale glare round sun. 



Mar. 12. — At 12 h bird (1 raven) seen flying over hill. 

 Distinct brown colour above haze under sun in afternoon. 

 Sunset colours bright and very beautiful. Afterglow from 

 18 h 30 m to 18 h 40 m . Sun sank into haze at 8 h 23 m . 

 For the last two days there has been dense haze all round, 

 but especially to westward, rising to about 3000 feet, and 

 very flat topped. When taking compass bearings along 

 the path down the hill to-day Mr Rankin found that one 

 of the large stones on the south side of the hill near the 

 first gorge was strongly magnetic. It attracted the south 

 end of the compass. 



Mar. 13. — Fog crystals white to-day. Fleeting corona, 

 sometimes single, sometimes double, formed on scud at 

 night. 



Mar. 15. — Fog crystals in morning very slightly grey 

 in colour. Lunar corona on scud at night, too fleeting to 

 measure. 



Mar. 17. — Fog crystals rather hard and icy in early 

 morning and during the day, but looser in texture at 

 night. All pure white. Louvres of thermometer box a 

 good deal choked. 



Mar. 18. — Fog crystals brown in the afternoon. 



Mar. 19.— Fog crystals brown in forenoon. Thermo- 

 meter box shifted at 8 h 10 m . The increase (1 inch) in 

 the depth of snow to-day is probably due to fog crystals 

 forming on the old roughened surface. 



Mar. 20. — At 12 h Robinson anemometer started. 



Mar. 22.- — Sky very ugly, both in clouds and colour, to 

 S.W. all afternoon. At 13 h beams observed radiating from 

 sun in every direction ; some 20° in length. Detached 

 cumulus fog hanging about hills round all afternoon. 

 Snow almost gone off the hills to north and north-east, 

 and very streaky on the others. At 18 h dark fog with 

 haze below it advancing over hills to S.W. At 18 h a 

 ptarmigan, pure white, flew across the hill top. At 19 h 

 green haze to N.E. The fog and haze to S.W. had reached 

 Loch Leven. Fog on Ben Nevis at 20 h ; heavy rain and 

 hail began shortly afterwards. 



Mar. 23.— At 10 h (wind S.S.W.) thin mist rising up 



from north valley close to cliff, but getting brushed back 

 by the wind. At 15 h 10 m thermometer box shifted one 

 stage down on ladder-stand. 



Mar. 26. — Robinson anemometer tied up at 10 h 5 m . 

 Snow at night at first soft and in large flakes, but later 

 on hard and icy. 



Mar. 27. — At 13 h snow bunting seen on top. Ther- 

 mometer box shifted at 22 h 23 m . 



Mar. 28. — At 10 h three layers of cloud were observed, 

 the lowest cum. from S.W., middle cir.-cum. from W. by N., 

 and highest cir. and cir.-cum. from W.S.W. At 10 h 15 m 

 vertical ascending columns of fog observed rising from 

 Glen Nevis, and forming cum. clouds at about the level of 

 the hill top. 



Mar. 30. — No rain-gauge was out from 12 h to 17 h , as 

 the drift made it useless. Thermometer box shifted at 

 23 h 20 m . 



Mar. 31.— Shower of hail between 16 h and 17 h . The 

 hailstones were hard and conical in shape, with spherical 

 bottoms. 



April 1. — At 16 h brown haze to S.W. very ugly look- 

 ing, and cumulus above hills at N.W. horizon. Ther- 

 mometer box shifted at 16 u 15 m . At 18 h rain-gauge 

 buried out of sight in drift ; none put out for the rest of 

 the day. At 21 h stars seen for a moment. The freshly 

 fallen and drifted snow was much cut up by the wind at 

 night. 



April 2. — Short but very heavy hail shower at 8 h . 

 Rain-gauge was put out for the first time to-day at 9 1 '. 



April 3. — At 10 h and several times during the after- 

 noon rain-gauge was buried in drift. No gauge was put 

 out at 21 h . Thermometer box badly choked with drift 

 all afternoon and night. 



April 4. — Rain-gauge put out for first time at 4 h . 

 Thermometer box badly choked with drift all day ; the 

 ozone papers were enclosed in a mass of snow over one 

 inch thick. 



April 5. — Thermometer box shifted at ll h 10 m . 

 April 6. — Top covered with deep soft, rather heavy snow. 

 April 7. — When the wind rose this afternoon, the soft 

 snow blew about in blinding drift. At 13 h the rain- 

 gauge was buried so deeply that it could not be found. 

 No gauge was put out after this. At 14 h it was impos- 

 sible to see three yards for drift. Thermometer box con- 

 siderably choked with drift at night. 



April 8. — Rain gauge put out for the first time at 3 h . 

 At ll h 10 m thermometer box shifted one stage higher on 

 ladder-stand. Thermometer box shifted at 22 h 15 m . This 

 afternoon it was found that a drift about 10 or 12 feet 

 high had gathered along the face of the cliff to N.W. 

 during the recent storm. It did not overhang, but sloped 

 back from the edge. 



April 9. — At 17' 1 top clearing at times; sunshine seen 

 on southern hills. 



April 10.— Thermometer box shifted at 10 h 20 m . In 

 the forenoon and middle of the day the fog rose gradually 

 from the hills and formed cumulus over them. No fog in 

 valleys all day. Loch Linnhe and Locheil calm all day, 

 but surf breaking upon Eig. No unusual colours in sky. 



April 11.- — Loose cumulus floating about all day, but. 

 clearing entirely at night. At 19 h yellow colour above 

 sun and pink underneath. Aurora seen at 22 h , 23 h , and 

 midnight. Single arch, greatest height about 9° by 

 stephanome. 



