66 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY. — LOG-BOOK. 



[1888. 



times, and with very bright colours. An eclipse of the 

 moon was observed after 21 h . At 10 h a weasel was seen 

 about the hotel. 



Jan. 31. — At ll h the raingauge was found undercut and 

 lying over. None put out after this. Large ' chunks ' of 

 hardish snow were flying about in the forenoon, and 

 almost all the loose fresh snow on the hill top was cleared 

 off, leaving the icy surface formed by the last thaw 

 exposed. 



Feb. 1.— Thermometer box shifted at 4 h 10 m . The 

 cir.-c. clouds noted to-day were mostly in rather large 

 pieces. No fog in valleys, but horizon rather hazy in 

 afternoon. The depth of snow at post B. (first gorge) 

 was 81 inches this afternoon. 



Feb. 3.— Thermometer box shifted at 10 h 40 m . 

 Louvres of box a good deal choked with ice in afternoon ; 

 cleared at 20 u . 



Feb. 7.— Thermometer box shifted at 2 h 30 m . 

 Feb. 8.— Thermometer box shifted at 10 h 20 m . 

 Feb. 10. — Top covered with soft snow, which drifted a 

 little at night. At midnight aurora seen faintly. 



Feb. 11. — Aurora seen again at l h , 4 h and 5 h . 

 Thermometer box shifted at 4 h 35 m . Box put one stage 

 higher on ladder stand. At 7 h detached fog among hills 

 to E. and in the valleys to N. Sun rose at about 7 h 55 m . 

 The earth shadow and shadow of Ben Nevis seen before 

 sunrise. Detached fog among the hills all forenoon and 

 part of afternoon ; at times streaks lying at about 1000 

 feet height with ragged cum. top. At 13 h it was found 

 that the sunshine recorder had slipped on the snow, 

 consequently the record for that hour is blurred, but is 

 evidently continuous (60 m ). 



Feb. 12. — Aurora, single arch, no streamers, seen at 3 h , 

 4 h and 5 h . Fog all round to about 4000 feet from 7 h to 

 10 h , after which it broke up into detached jDarts, which in 

 the afternoon lay in streaks of cum.-structure along the 

 sides of the hills. No unusual colours were observed in 

 the sky on either the 11 th or 12 th . 



Feb. 14. — At 8 h a glory was seen ; no measurements 

 got. No raingauge was out to-day as the drift would 

 have made it useless, but apparently no snow fell. 



Feb. 15.— Thermometer box shifted at 9 h 30 m . No 

 fog in valleys or on hills all day. No unusual colours in 

 sky. The earth shadow was seen at sunset. 



Feb. 16.— At 8 h , 9 h and 10 h low fog over Loch Eil and 

 Loch Linnhe, and haze to S. At 7 h 50 m the earth shadows 

 and shadow of Ben Nevis were seen. At 10 h fog was 

 blowing over the Cairn Dearg, and at ll h across the hill 

 top. At 14 h 20 m solar halo seen. Red inside and blue 

 outside ; no measurements got. In afternoon level- 

 topped haze all round, with cum. above and in it. At 14 h 

 brown colour under sun above this haze. 



Feb. 18. — At 14 h sun shining in patches on the hills 

 all round ; no fog in valleys, but heavy cumulus and 

 cumulo-stratus everywhere. Very heavy squalls began 

 suddenly at 21 h 45 m , ice crystals blown away off tower, etc. 

 Barometer pumping heavily — a reading at about 22 h 12 m 

 during a lull gave 25 '11 7. At 23 h the outside observations 

 (temperature, etc.) were about 4 m late, owing to lantern 

 being blown out while going to box. After this the 

 jacketed lantern was used. No raingauge was out in 

 early morning nor at night as the drift made it useless. 

 Feb. 19. — After ll h thermometer box shifted, the 



hinges being damaged. The strong wind of last night 

 and this morning have swept the fresh snow off, leaving 

 the icy surface formed by the thaws of last month ex- 

 posed over a large part of the hill top. 



Feb. 20. — Very squally in early morning with strong 

 back swirls. Ugly-looking clouds all round in afternoon, 

 and patches of cum. fog on hills. At 23 h lunar halo and 

 corona seen. 



Radius to inside of halo . . 21° 24' 

 Radius to red of corona . . 2° 53' 

 Corona very misty and badly defined. 



Feb. 22.— Thermometer box shifted at 18 h 15 m . 

 White, dr}', loose fog crystals forming at night. 



Feb. 23. — After sunset at 17 h 45 m , the earth shadow 

 was seen. Double lunar corona at night — inner set 

 yellowish and outer blue-green, inside their respective reds. 

 Feb. 24. — In the evening the fog lifted, forming a 

 layer of cloud not far above the hill top, and extending 

 over the whole sky, but not touching any of the hill 

 tops. 



Feb. 25. — Detached fog hanging about the hills to S. 

 and E. all afternoon. No unusual colours round sun, but 

 faint after glow at 19 h . 



Feb. 27. — White, dry fog crystals forming freely all 

 yesterday and this morning. At 9 h the fog was be- 

 ginning to sink, and by 1 l h the sky was seen to be quite 

 clear, though fog was still blowing over the hill top. All 

 afternoon, thick, rather cumulus-looking fog hid the hills 

 round and extended to the horizon. The Aonach More 

 and Aonach Beg (4000 feet height) were seen above it 

 occasionally, but no other hills except Ben Nevis and its 

 adjacent ridges. No colours in sky round sun in after- 

 noon, and only a very brown colour under it above the fog. 

 The after glow and earth shadow were seen after sunset. 

 Very bright moonlight at night. At 14 h 30 m a glory was 

 seen from the cliff edge. Three rings, red outside in each. 

 Middle ring the best defined, but all rather misty look- 

 ing. 



Radius of second red . . 4° 13' 



Radius of yellow ... 3° 36' 



Streaks of cirrus cloud came on from the N.W. at night 



(21 h and 22 h ). At 22 h faint lunar fog bow seen. Single, 



no colour. 



Radius to inside of bow . . 34° 0' 

 Radius to outside of bow . . 48° 26' 



Feb. 28. — At 2 h a portion of a lunar halo was seen. 

 At 4 h it was again seen faintly tinged with red inside. 



Radius of red . . . . 22° 0' 

 At 4 h a lunar glory was also seen from edge of cliff. It 

 had a sharp, well-defined outer edge but no colours. It 

 disappeared before a measurement could be made. The 

 radius was, very roughly, about 1°. A lunar corona was 

 also seen at 4 h . At 4 h the fog which had hid the lower 

 hills had begun to break up to S., and after this it gradu- 

 ally cleared off, leaving the horizon, however, somewhat 

 hazy. A faint halo was seen at 5 h , 6 h and 8 h , the last 

 being solar. The earth shadow and shadow of Ben Nevis 

 were seen at 7 h . The after glow and earth shadow were 

 also seen at 18 h , but no unusual colours were seen in the 

 sky during the day. Up to 21 h the sky had been clear, 

 except for detached cirrus-cumulus, but at 22 h a heavy 

 pallium, quite low down, covered it. 



Feb. 29. — The low pallium of cloud sank down and 



