TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF AUGUST 9, 1896. 
15 
clearly than photographs, the drawings made by different observers frequently have 
little resemblance to each other. An experiment I had made during the passage 
outwards on s.s. Garoirne,” however, convinced me that these large differences could 
be almost entirely eliminated after a little practice in sketching from photographs 
projected upon a screen by a magic-lantern, and that drawings made under good 
conditions might be very valuable. 
The form which the rehearsals took was as follows :—- 
Each observer was supplied with the necessary drawing-paper, Morris-tube targets 
being found to serve this purpose capitally. 
By means of a magic-lantern, enlarged views of several different coronas were 
thrown on a screen for inspection, and attention was drawn to the dissimilarity 
between any two of these. Instruction was then given as to the important featuies 
to be noted and recorded, special stress being laid on noting accurately the exact 
orientation of the features in question. This was facilitated to a great extent by 
the concentric circles and radial lines surrounding the bullseye, and passing through 
the centre respectively. It was suggested, also, to those making these drawings to 
consider the image of the corona on the screen, or the actual eclipsed sun in the sky 
as an ordinary compass card, with the north at the top and the east on the right- 
hand side. The question of the orientation of any point was by this means an easy 
matter to determine. 
After these preliminary trials the coronas were withdrawn, and a previously 
unseen one substituted. This corona was then exhibited on the screen for i05 seconds, 
this being the duration in time of the approaching eclipse. The time was called out 
in exactly the same manner as was adopted during the actual eclipse. (Jommenciug 
with 105, the number of seconds remaining was called out every 10 seconds until the 
final 10 seconds were left, when each second was counted. The image of the corona 
was then immediately withdrawn from the screen, the observers were allowed 
15 minutes, to fill in any extra details which they had observed and not had time to 
record, and to make any notes of the phenomena in general. 
A subsequent examination of the drawings thus made showed a remarkable 
similarity, and by means of a few rehearsals, the observers became quite expert in 
inserting most of the details shown on the screen, both as regards form and colour. 
During the competition that took place nearly evei’y evening, marks were awarded, 
10 being allowed for form and 10 for colour. In most cases the marks given were 
high, 18 marks out of 20 was by no means uncommon. 
The selection of the sketching party was accordingly based upon the results of 
these competitions. 
For the actual eclipse, each observer was provided with a piece of drawing-paper, 
12 inches square, in the centre of which was a blackened disc repi'esenting the dark 
moon ; passing through the centre of the disc were lines at angles of 45°, which were 
taken to represent points of the compass. 
