144 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



as its motion alone is concerned, of a person holding a long ribbon by one 

 end, and giving it an undulatory motion through its whole length, though its 

 general position remains the same. One of the most striking of the various 

 locomotive properties of the Aurora is that which it often has laterally, by 

 which I mean in the direction perpendicular to its length. This motion, 

 compared with the other, is usually slow, though still very rapid in the " merry 

 dancers," which seem to observe no law with regard to the rest of the pheno- 

 menon. When the streams or bands were crooked, the convolutions took 

 place indifferently in all directions. The Aurora did not continue long to the 

 north of the zenith, but remained as high as that point for more than an hour ; 

 after which on the moon rising, it became more and more faint, and at half- 

 past eleven was no longer visible. 



The colour of the light was most frequently yellowish-white, sometimes 

 greenish, and once or twice a lilac tinge was remarked, when several strata, 

 as it were, appeared to overlay each other, by very rapidly meeting, in 

 which case the light was always increased in intensity. The electrometer 

 was tried several times, and two of Kater's compasses exposed upon the 

 the ice, during the continuance of this Aurora, but neither was percep- 

 tibly affected by it. We listened attentively for any noise which might 

 accompany it, but could hear none, but it was too cold to keep the ears 

 uncovered very long at one time. The intensity of the light was some- 

 thing greater than that of the moon in her quarters. Of its dimming the 

 stars there cannot, I think, be a doubt. We remarked it to be, in this 

 respect, like drawing a gauze veil over the heavens in that part, the veil 

 being most thick, when two of the luminous sheets met and overlapped. 

 The phenomenon had all the appearance of being full as near as many of the 

 clouds commonly seen, but there were none of the latter to compare them 

 with at the time. I may in conclusion remark that, notwithstanding the 

 variety and changeableness displayed by this Aurora, there was throughout 

 a perceptible inclination in the various parts of it to form an irregular arch 

 from E.b.N. over to S.W.b.W. 



From seven till ten P.M., on the 20th, while engaged in making observa- 

 tions upon the ice, we observed the Aurora almost constantly appear- 

 ing, though varying in its form and situation. It commenced with a 

 number of vertical coruscations from the S.E., south, and N.W. horizons, 

 darting nearly as high as the zenith. This being discontinued after half an 

 hour, the leg of an arch appeared at E.S.E., inclining towards the south, 



