70 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY. — LOG-BOOK. 



[1888. 



office stove, and a bright flash appeared to spring about 

 a yard out from it ; a similar crack was heard at the same 

 instant in the kitchen stove, and a flash from it struck the 

 left leg of James Miller at about a foot distance from the 

 stove. It felt like a strong shock from a leyden-jar, but 

 except for the pain at the moment did not injure him. 

 Another crack and flash was observed at the office stove 

 at 18^ 20 m when another cloud was leaving the hill top. 

 During the whole time of the thunderstorms, the wind 

 blew from the S.E. at about 60 miles an hour, and the 

 temperature was between 43° and 46°. The hill top was 

 sometimes covered with very thick mist and sometimes 

 quite clear though the sky was cloudy. Heavy showers 

 of rain fell. The telegraph wire was rendered useless for 

 a few hours by the lightning protector being scorched — the 

 two surfaces of the protector were slightly fused at one 

 place. The surfaces were cleaned and a fresh paper put in 

 at 19 h 30™, after which the instrument worked well. The 

 general surface of the snow was lowered about a foot to- 

 day by the strong wind and high temperature. 



May 20. — At 10' 1 some glories were seen from the cliff 

 edge, and photographs were taken of them. At 12 h there 

 were heavy masses of cum. just above the hills all round, 

 but the valleys underneath, were very clear — no haze or 

 fog. At 18 h 10™ the upper joint was taken off the ladder 

 stand, and the thermometer box put one stage down. At 

 21 h the sky was cloudless, but fog on the hills to S. The 

 N. horizon was red all night with sunset colours. 



May 21. — At 2 h very thin clouds overhead and patch 

 of thin fog rising to "W. At 3 h 25 m a faint upper glow 

 was seen. Haze in the valleys most of the day ; at 4 h 

 (after sunrise) the shadow of Ben Nevis was seen very 

 distinctly on this haze. No fog in the valleys. At 21 h 

 a faint upper glow was seen. To-day the sun-level door 

 was dug open. 



May 22. — Heavy dew on everything till 5 h . Thick 

 haze in valleys all day. Shadow of Ben Nevis seen on it 

 at 4 h over Loch Linnhe. Cumulus gathered all over the 

 sky in the afternoon, with cir.-c. above it occasionally, 

 and still higher cirrus moving rather quickly from the 

 N. It was noticed to-day that 20 h is the first hour 

 at this season in which the thermometer box is shaded 

 from the direct rays of the sun. To-day two visitors with 

 a horse climbed the hill. This is the first horse that has 

 been up this year ; it was able to walk over the snow right 

 up to the Observatory. 



May 23. — At 3 h and 4 h fog lay low down over Loch 

 Oich. It had entirely cleared off by 7 h . Portions of solar 

 halos were seen at 10 h and 12 h . Horizon hazy to-day, 

 but not so densely as yesterday. At 23 h a heavy fall 

 of snow was heard on the cliff to N. somewhere between 

 the Observatory and the Cairn Dearg (B.N.). N. 

 horizon red with sunset colours all night. 



May 24. — Just after sunrise the shadow of Ben Nevis 

 was seen above the Mull hills, it gradually sank and con- 

 tinued visible on Loch Linnhe till after 4 h . Fog on Loch 

 Oich in early morning. At 4 h it reached to about 1000 

 feet height, and extended as far as could be seen to N.E. 

 and down to the head of Loch Lochy. Fog also lay in 

 the Laggan Valley. No fog in valleys during the day, and 

 less haze than yesterday. The earth shadow and a faint 

 after glow was seen at 21 h . N. horizon red with sunset 

 colours all night. 



May 25. — Thick fog lay in the Caledonian Canal 

 valley as far S. as Banavie at 5 h , and also in the 

 valleys to N.E., and on the Moor of Rannoch. Horizon 

 rather hazy elsewhere in early morning. The earth shadow 

 was seen above Mull after sunrise ; also the shadow of 

 Ben Nevis. Great visibility to N. in forenoon. A solar 

 halo was seen at ll h and 12 h . At ll h it was formed on 

 streaks of cirrus lying N.E. to S. W., and moving from the 

 N.W. At 14 h two eagles were seen flying up from the 

 E. end of Ben Nevis. The earth shadow was seen again 

 clearly at sunset. 



May 26. — Fog gathered on the hills to N.E. in early 

 morning, and after sunrise spread over all the hills round, 

 except to S.W., at about 4000 feet height. Shortly after 

 noon it rose clear off the hills forming cum. clouds. 

 The shadow of Ben Nevis was seen after sunrise in the 

 same manner as yesterday. Glories were seen from the 

 cliff edge in morning. Some photographs were taken. 

 After the cum. clouds formed there was no fog in the 

 valleys nor on hills. At 6 h the wet bulb had got too dry, 

 and its reading on the daily sheet is interpolated. 



May 27. — Though the hill top was clear for a few 

 hours in morning, there was heavy cum. fog all round. 

 Slight surface drift on the snow at night. At h 10 m the 

 thermometer box was shifted one stage down on ladder 

 stand. 



May 28. — No fog in valleys all day. Air very clear, 

 especially to S. and W., during the middle of the day and 

 in the afternoon. May, Colonsay and Barra seen 

 distinctly. 



May 29. — At 2 h only very thin fog was blowing across 

 the hill top, but there were detached patches of fog on the 

 hills to E. and a very heavy and sharply-defined cloud 

 bank to S.W. White, loose, dry fog crystals forming all 

 afternoon. 



May 31.— At 12 h 15 m James Miller thought he saw 

 St Elmo's Fire on the kitchen chimney for a moment. 

 Though the snow which fell to-day was granular and 

 dense, it drifted a little, and the low-level door got blocked 

 in the afternoon. The tower door was used all evening. 



June 1. — Thermometer box shifted at 9 h 10 m . Put 

 one step higher on ladder stand. After the fog cleared 

 off in the afternoon the air was very clear all round, and 

 no fog in the valleys. At about 20 h 45 m a solar halo was 

 seen — only a small portion of the circle. Red inside, 

 blue outside. 



Radius to middle of red . . 22° 42'. 



Radius to middle of blue . . 23° 30'. 

 The cum. clouds seen in the evening were small 

 and high up, almost like cir.-c. 



June 2. — At sunrise the air was very clear to W., the 

 Outer Hebrides were seen. Also the shadow of Ben 

 Nevis above Mull very sharp and distinct, after the sun 

 was up. Fog lay on the hills to S.E. at 4 h . At 5 h 

 upper part of halo seen, very bright. Considerable drift 

 all evening, making the raingauge measurements very 

 doubtful. The low-level door was dug out this morning, 

 but got blocked up again in the afternoon. The kitchen 

 windows were also blocked with drift at night. 



June 3. — Up to 4 h the fog crystals were long, white, 

 and rather hard, but easily knocked off from their hold ; 

 but at 5 h rain began, and, the temperature being 27°, 

 everything was covered with hard ice. The fog crystals 



