Page:Percival Lowell - an afterglow.djvu/168

Percival Lowell A letter came just (Sat.) now from Professor Chant who was so pleased with the Saturn's Rings Memoir that he wanted an article on it for the Journal of the R. A. S. of Canada—Eheu! Also several nice letters about it from other people.

You were here at just the right season. You could not walk abroad now or go anywhere; snow 3 feet 2 inches on the level! The whole plateau is eiderdowned while the sky is an intense sapphire.—This morning I found and photographed the tracks of jack-rabbit and coyote. Also took pictures of Curtis on his skis. Curtis informs me that a Belgian rabbit had escaped from mill town and he thought some of the tracks were that animal's.

The deep blue sky almost as sparkling as the snow gives one the feeling of being exposed to outer space. A most singular method of clearing occurred last night. After 12 inches of snow had fallen the sky made show of opening up, then hesitated and finally after sundown began slowly to emerge to the northeast between Elden and the Peaks and so roll back the clouds to the S. W. During which a surface west wind blew. The Zodiacal Light was conspicuous and the stars very brilliant though really blurred. 130