( 625 ) 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY.-LOG-BOOK, 1904. 



Jan. 1. — Summit was clear from 19 h to 21 h , with fog 

 below to S.E., but was enveloped in fog the rest of the 

 day. Lunar corona at 3 h . After 20 h the thermometer 

 box was changed. 



Jan. 3. — After 8 !l the thermometer box was changed. 



Jan. 4. — Lunar coronse at 4 h , 5 h , and 19 h . Solar cor- 

 ona? at ll h and 12 h . Thermometer box changed after 20 h . 



Jan. 5. — Summit clear and air dry till 15 h . Fog since. 

 Fog in valleys all morning, also a very thin film of fog 

 over Caledonian Canal, Loch Loehy and Locheil. 



Jan. 7. — St Elmo's Fire, accompanied by snowy hail, 

 observed at 19 h . Thermometer box changed after 7 h . 



Jan. 10. — Lightning seen at 20 h , but no thunder 

 heard. 



Jan. 13. — Fog, with snow, in the morning and again 

 after 1 2 h ; but at 8 h and 9 h the mist was very wet, and 

 ice was deposited on all exposed surfaces. 



Jan. 14. — St Elmo's Fire, accompanied with soft hail, 

 at 4 h . After 12 h the thermometer box was raised. 



Jan. 21. — Thermometer box changed after ll h . 



Jan. 23. — Summit clear all day. Cir.-c. moving from 

 N. on sky from 8 h till 16 h . Cloudless the rest of the 

 day. Thick fog below all day, its upper surface ranging 

 from 3000 to 4000 feet. Aurora seen from 3 h till 6 h . 

 Lunar coronse at 20 b and 21 h . Glories at 10 h and the 

 Ben shadow at 9 h . At 22 h the observer saw a flash of 

 light, which he noted as lightning. There was no cloud 

 on sky at time. At M c Lean's Steep the observer saw a 

 fog-bow, and at the same place two ravens. 



Jan. 24. — The mist rose after 2 1 ', and enveloped the 

 summit. The temperature fell 8° between 2 h and 3 h — 

 34° to 26 O- 0, — the dew point of the previous three hours. 

 Fog-crystals forming most of the day. 



Jan. 27. — Earth currents in telegraph wire all evening. 

 St Elmo's Fire seen at 20 h . 



Jan. 28. — Earth currents in early morning and again 

 at night. Lightning seen at 22 h 5 m . 



Jan. 29. — Southerly gale from 15 h till midnight. 

 The temperature readings to-day from 18 h till midnight 

 are from the storm thermometer in tower. At 16 h the 

 rain gauge was blown over the N. cliff. Strong earth 

 currents at night. 



Jan. 30. — Eain gauge put out, and readings of outside 

 thermometers resumed at l h . Earth currents in cable at 

 3 h 55 m , 5 h 12 m , and 17 h . Thermometer box changed at 

 15 h 30 m . 



Jan. 31. — Mostly fog all morning, but afternoon clear 

 and fine. The air was very dry at night, the humidity 

 being 32 per cent, at midnight. The cirrus noted at 

 midnight was moving quickly from S. At l h a lunar 



halo was seen on a dull leaden pallium of dense cirro.-str. 

 Earth currents noted at 5 h 13 m . At 22 h and 23 h a 

 brownish-red glare was seen around the moon. It 

 extended outwards all round about 20°. 



Feb. 1. — Humidity continued low (lowest 26 per cent, 

 at l h and 3 h ) till 4 h , then it rose quickly till at 6 h the 

 air was saturated. Fog and showers of snow the rest 

 of the day. Fog-crystals forming at 9 h . At midnight 

 the fog was very thick, and had a pink or rosy glow, as 

 is seen sometimes in fog at sunrise and sunset. The 

 brownish red glare about the moon continued visible till 

 5 h . The following notes were made. — 2 h . Glare about 

 moon, also tinging cir.-clouds. Very faint halo. 3 h . 

 Trace of halo on cir., but not on coloured haze around 

 moon. 4 h . Dark copper-coloured belt above western 

 horizon. Halo complete. At 7 h what seemed like 

 two moons were observed. In the W. the moon was 

 very low down and gleaming through clouds of a heavy 

 cumulus nature. At a distance right below her there 

 was another source of light equal in size and brilliancy, 

 but the edge of it was not sharply defined. Standing 

 at the tower door the moon and the other light appeared 

 equally distant above and below the Cairn on the top 

 of Tower Eidge and slightly to the North of the face 

 of the Ridge. 



Feb. 2. — Fog-crystals forming quickly from very thick 

 fog all morning. In the afternoon the growth was pure 

 white. 



Feb. 3.— Strong S.E. wind till 6 h , with thick fog, from 

 which fog-crystals were forming rapidly. Lunar corona 

 at 23 h . 



Feb. 5. — Summit clear till 6 h . Fog during the rest of 

 day. At 2 h , 4 h , and 5 h there were bands of cir.-s. and 

 cir.-c. (or alto.-cum.) radiating from E.N.E. on sky and 

 moving apparently from S.E. very slowly. Below this 

 there was a stratum of loose str.-cum. moving quickly 

 from E. This cloud formed, changed, and vanished 

 quickly. Lunar coronse at 2 h and 6 h . Two snow- 

 buntings seen at 13 h . 



Feb. 8. — Fog forming grey fog-crystals to-day. Summit 

 clear at 22 h and midnight. A glimmer behind the clouds 

 to 1ST. at midnight was probably auroral. Thermometer 

 box changed at 22 h 10 m . Height above snow not altered. 



Feb. 9. — Thin fog in morning and again at night. 

 Clear and fine from 13 h till 20 h . In the afternoon there 

 was low-lying fog over Locheil and the Caledonian Canal, 

 and the horizon to S.W., W., and N.W. was cloudy, 

 while to E. and S.E. it was very clear. There was some 

 cir. and cir.-s. high on sky from 13 h till 15 h . This at 16 h 

 gave place to a very much lower cloud — loose cir.-c. or 



