A METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENON. 503 



A few miles off is the small island of Raghery, or Rachlin, the most 

 northerly part of Ireland ; and about twenty miles off is the Mull of 

 Cantyre, Campbelltown, &c, in Scotland. The rocks of Ballintoy are 

 a customary scene of resort for tourists ; and it was from them the fol- 

 lowing appearance was presented to two of my family, one of whom 

 thus describes it : — 



f< From Ballintoy we walked to Carrick-a-rede, but there was such 

 a mist that we saw nothing whatever of the coast until we got to the 

 bridge. We were, however, very much amused and delighted by 

 watching an appearance like a rainbow in the mist ; the sun being 

 bright behind us through the mist. The bow was distinct but colour- 

 less, except the outside, which had a tinge of violet. It was also more 

 than a semicircle*, which W. attributes to our being on a very high cliff. 

 When we got to Carrick-a-rede we could scarcely see further than 

 across the swinging bridge ; but the mist soon cleared away gradually. 

 While we stood on a high rock, a little to the east of the bridge, we 

 saw each of us his own shadow on the water, which was just visible 

 below us, with an extraordinary effect ; the head of the shadow being 

 surrounded by a halo of very faint prismatic colours : and at a few 

 yards' distance from this I saw another circle, with my head also for a 

 centre, and also faintly prismatic ; and the bow which we had previ- 

 ously observed, at a yet greater distance, but not quite a complete circle, 

 part being apparently cut off by the rock that we stood on. It seemed 

 that if we had been on a higher rock at some little distance we should 

 have seen the whole circle of this bow ; but before we could get to this 

 eminence the whole gradually but "quickly melted away, lasting alto- 

 gether about five minutes from the time we first observed our own 

 shadows. Soon after the mist cleared off, and we had a fine view of the 

 little rock of Carrick-a-rede ; then of Raghery, Fairhead, and Scotland. 

 The whole phenomenon struck us as extraordinary and curious ; and 

 we thought that you might like to send an account of it to Professor 

 Rermie." 



Holy wood, Ireland, Sept. 16, 1833. 



* The bow being more than a semicircle would depend upon the relative 

 position of the sun. When I visited the falls of the Rhine in the autumn of 

 1833, I observed a very bright rainbow on the rising spray, which, from the 

 lowness of the sun on the western horizon, was very little curved, but stretched 

 across in almost a straight line. — Editor. 



