ox THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, MAY 28 , 1900 . 
‘V.)5 
changed their hue from pinkish-hrown to dark slate colour. I also noticed that a 
bird which had been chirnpping long before the first contact carried on doing so 
right through totality ; he remained in the same place the whole time. I also noticed 
a yellow shadow about 6 miles to sea which extended from S.W. to S.E. by S.” 
Shadow Phenomena. 
The moon’s shadow was not seen at all, although observers were stationed at the 
mast-head of the ship at a height of about 80 feet from the water, with careful 
instructions as to the measurement of its speed, &c., had it been seen. The relative 
positions of the shore line, the ship, and the island to seaward gave reason to hope 
for good results ; but in this we were disappointed. 
Shadow Bands. 
Mr. T. Slatoe, B.A., Naval Instructor, who took charge of this section of the 
observations, presents the following report of tlie preparatory work and the observa¬ 
tions made :— 
“ Two canvas screens, 18 X G feet, were placed vertically, one in the meridian and 
tlie other in the prime vertical, on a road crossing the camp, which was as nearly as 
possible horizontal. The sides of the screens facing the sun, and the 18-foot scpiare 
included by them on the horizontal plane, were whitewashed. 
“ Kods 3 feet long were provided to mark the direction in which the bands were 
travelling on the horizontal plane, and two wooden T’s ” were made, with a 3-foot 
head and a 6-foot handle to secure permanent Impressions on the screens. 
“ The heads were smeared with a mixture of blacklead and tallow, and the long 
handles enabled the observers to stand at some distance from the screens. 
“ It was decided to place the rods and mark the screens perpendicular to the 
directions of the bands, and in the directions in which they were travelling. To 
make a more accurate estimate of the distance between successive bands the rods 
and the heads of the ‘ T’s ’ were painted white at tlie ends, and the centre foot was 
jiainted black. 
“ Commander Hon. B. F. BoYiiE volunteered to mark the screen in the meridian^ 
Mr. J. G. Walsh, Midsliipman, was watching the other screen; Mr. F. C’. Skinner, 
Midshipman, placed the rods on the horizontal plane, and I had a stop watch to note 
times, and to lie used if possiiile to form an estimate of the speed at which the bands 
were travelling. 
“ Unfortunately the bands were very faint and elusive, and on the screen in the 
prime vertical no shadows were seen at all. Only one mark was made on the other 
vertical screen before totality began, and this was found to be inclined to the horizontal 
at an angle of 20°, the bands moving upwards from N. to S. One mark was made 
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