119 
One of the most striking appearances of the aurora I 
ever witnessed was at Corrimony, on the 18th November, 
1848. It was of a deep fiery red colour, and extended all 
over the heavens ; even from the zenith down to the sum- 
mits of the southern hills ; and within two days it was 
succeeded by one of the most violent storms of wind and 
rain from the S.W., I ever witnessed in that part of the 
kingdom. 
It was only within the last four or five years that I met 
with an extract from a newspaper; published, at the time, in 
one of the midland counties of England ; in which reference 
was made to the same appearance of the aurora borealis ; 
on the same date, and about the same hour in the evening, 
eight or nine o’clock. It gave a similar description as to 
colour, extent over the visible horizon, &c., but added that 
it was not followed, “ as usual,” by westerly wind and rain. 
I would call attention to this fact, as it serves to illustrate a 
theory I would offer in explanation of the phenomenon 
generally. 
I would only further notice an observation somewhat 
different in kind, and made during the day; it was men- 
tioned by my grieve, soon after I went to reside in Elen 
Urquhart, 26 years ago; and he was one of the most 
observant, and intelligent men of his class I ever met with. 
On a brilliant afternoon towards the end of Summer, I 
happened to remark to him, how very fine the weather had 
been and was, when, shading his eyes from the Sun, and 
looking up over head, he replied that, notwithstanding, 
there would be rain in three days, “for he saw it in the 
sky ;” adding, he found this almost always right. On inquiry, 
and looking up in a similar way, I discovered that what he 
saw was a faint streaky cloud, nearly in the zenith, with a 
shooting and sort of wavy motion towards its southern 
margin. 
This prediction was verified in the instance here referred 
