24 
ing into columns, and altering slowly into 
ten thousand different shapes, varying 
their colours from all the lines of yellow 
to the most obscure russet. They often 
cover the whole hemisphere, and then 
make the most brilliant appearance. 
Their motions at these times are amaz¬ 
ingly quick; and they astonish the spec¬ 
tator with the rapid change of their form. 
They break out in places where none 
were seen before, skimming briskly along 
the heavens : are suddenly extinguished, 
and leave behind an uniform dusky tract. 
This again is brilliantly illuminated in 
the same manner, and as suddenly left a 
dull blank. In certain nights they as¬ 
sume the appearance of vast columns, on 
one side of the deepest yellow, on the 
other declining away, till it become un¬ 
distinguished from the sky. 
They have generally a strong tremu¬ 
lous motion from end to end, which con¬ 
tinues till the whole vanish. According 
