1896.] 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY. — LOG-BOOK. 



373 



May 3. — Summit clear nearly all day. Sky cloudy till 

 19 h : cloudless thereafter. Thick haze all round below. 

 Aurora seen at night. At midnight there was a large 

 auroral arch stretching from W. to N.E. and rising at 

 apex to 20° above the horizon. After 19 h , when the sun 

 was near horizon, portions of two halos were seen : radius 

 of inner halo 22° 36' and of inter 49° 56'. Also a sun- 

 pillar rising vertically from sun. 



May 4. — Aurora seen at l h . Thick haze all around 

 and sky cloudy, but summit clear and air dry all day. 



May 5. — Thermometer box lowered one step after 16 h . 



May 6. — Haze all round till afternoon, when air to 

 northward began to clear. At 21 h it was very clear to 

 W., N. and N.E., but still hazy to S. and south-westward. 

 At 22 h and after, the northern sky was very clear, and the 

 sunset colours very pure, a and low-sunband were seen 

 in sky. A measurement by stephanome gave as their 

 difference 1°, 54°. Sunset colours seen all night. 



May 7. — Thunder and lightning between 15 h 25 m and 

 16 h , with heavy rain. Thunder clouds and showers were 

 noted to westward, northward, and E. till 19 h , but all 

 afternoon there was almost unbroken sunshine on hills 

 to southward, S.E., and S.W. Fog low in some valleys 

 to N.E. and eastward in early morning. Average visi- 

 bility to-day 5. The maximum temperature to-day 53°'2 

 is the highest on record so early in the year. 



May 8. — Temperature high and sky cloudless except 

 for some cumulus about mid-day and in afternoon. 

 Fog on Caledonian Canal in morning. 



May 9. — Summit clear; air very clear; and sky cloud- 

 less almost all day. Fog on Caledonian Canal and in 

 valleys to eastward in early morning. Air extremely 

 clear to N.E. in early morning. Bands seen in sunrise 

 colours. 



May 11. — Cloudless: but thick haze all around. Faint 

 and low aurora seen at midnight. Thermometer box 

 lowered after 20 h one step. 



May 12. — Sky cloudless all day and thick haze all 

 around. Almost calm from 9 h till midnight. To-day and 

 every day since the 7th, the afternoon temperature has 

 been above 50°. 



May 13. — Some cirrus on sky. Thick haze in valleys. 

 Sudden drop in humidity after 22 h from 89 to 34. 



May 15. — Sky cloudy. Fog all around in morning 

 and thin haze in afternoon. Solar halo seen at 13 h . 



May 17. — Mist or fog with slight drizzle till 20 h . 

 Clear but a little cloudy thereafter. Glories seen at 20 h . 

 A lunar corona at 23 h . At and for 30 m past midnight, a 

 brilliant aurora was noted. The arch extended from W. 

 to N.E., and rose to from 40° to 50° above horizon, and 

 sent up numerous bright streamers which converged at 

 zenith. 



May 19. — Fog with showers of snow and temperature 

 below 32 all day. 



May 22. — Glories and solar coronae seen at 19 h . 



May 23. — Thermometer box lowered one step after 7 h . 



May 24. — Clearing in afternoon. Cloudless at night, 

 but fog in valleys. 



May 25. — Sky cloudless,' but fog below and hanging 

 about summit most of the day. 



May 26. — Very thick haze all round to-day. Lunar 

 corona at l h . A good many insects seen on summit to-day. 



May 27. — Very thick haze all around all day. Cloud- 



less or almost so all morning ; but cloudy at night ; 

 with detached fog in valleys in early morning and at 

 night. 



May 28. — Cloudy : but the thick haze of last two days 

 cleared away in early morning, and in evening the air was 

 very clear. Visibility being 5. Solar halo seen at 13 h . 



May 29.— Summit clear till 5 h , and after 16 h , but 

 enveloped in fog or mist between these times. Glories 

 and fog-bows seen on fog in valleys in early morning and 

 after 16 h . 



May 30. — Cloudless almost all day. Fog all round in 

 forenoon, and thick haze at night. Some brightness in 

 northern sky at 23 h , was not distinct enough to make it 

 certain whether it was due to aurora or pearly cirrus. 



May 31. — Almost cloudless till 14 h , but continuous fog 

 all around below, which, after this, rose and enveloped 

 summit for the rest of the day. Glories seen at 4 h . 



Snow-buntings were either seen or heard on every day 

 of the month, and flies, etc. were almost daily seen on the 

 surface of the snow. 



June 1. — Mist all morning : clearing in evening, but sky 

 cloudy and fog below. Thermometers were put out in the 

 large summer Stevenson screen, and duplicate readings were 

 begun ; but those of dry and wet in small box continue to 

 be entered on daily sheets. (See June 10th.) 



June 3. — Sky cloudy all morning, and thick haze seen 

 below all round. Mist all evening. 



June 4.- — Fog or mist : clearing at times. Thunder 

 15 h to 15 h 35 m . Heavy showers of rain in afternoon. 



June 9. — Fog most of the day : but during clear 

 intervals the sky was seen to be almost cloudless. 



June 10. — Fog hanging about hills and summit to-day : 

 but sky cloudless in morning. Duplicate readings of 

 hygrometers in small and large screens have been 

 occasionally made since 1st inst. To-day the small screen 

 was discontinued, and the readings of the dry and wet in 

 large screen taken and entered in records. 



June 11. — Summit clear; sky somewhat cloudy. 

 Detached fog and haze all round below. Afterglow 

 noted at 22 h . 



June 12. — Sky cloudy or overcast. Fog on summit at 

 night. Detached fog and haze all round below. Solar 

 halo seen at 10 h 30 m . Two large birds probably eagles 

 were seen crossing Ben Nevis in a south-easterly direction 

 about 14 h . 



June 14. — Summit clear all day. Haze all round all 

 day, and some fog in places at night. 



June 15. — Thick haze all round below. Sky some- 

 what cloudy, chiefly with cirrus types. 



June 16. — Thick haze all round, and sky heavily 

 clouded with thundery-looking, gloomy cumulus in morn- 

 ing. Very slight showers of rain during day. 



June 20. — St. Elmo's fire seen at midnight on wind 

 vane, etc. 



June 22. — Halos (red inside) were observed during 

 the afternoon. An approximate measurement with the 

 stephanome gave a radius of 23J°. 



June 24. — Glories and fog-bows seen in morning. An 

 approximate measurement of fog-bow (red outside) with 

 stephanome gave a radius of 37°. 



July 3. — Glories and fine double fog-bow seen to-day 

 at 8 h . 



July 5. — Solar halo and glory seen at 9 U . 



