Page:Polar Exploration - Bruce - 1911.djvu/236

232 emanate from the auroral arches hovering over Victoria Land cast a shadow such as did the flickering streamers and coruscating coronæ of Franz Josef Land. In the North, too, I have seen the auroral light between me and a cliff 500 feet high and only 100 yards distant. I have seen stars of the third magnitude eclipsed by it and the moon's light pale before it; not so in the desolate South."

On March 23rd, Ross says, "Late in the evening we crossed the line of no variation in latitude 62° 0′ S. and longitude 135° 50′ E. At 7.20 p.m. observed a bright arch of the Aurora Australis west-north-west and east-south-east extending across the zenith, of a yellow colour, its edges tinged with a purple line The lustre of the larger stars was much dimmed as it passed over them, but they could be distinctly seen through it; some of the smaller stars were totally obscured by the brighter and denser portions of the aurora; this splendid display was, as usual, followed by a fall of snow."

On March 26th, Ross says, "The aurora again afforded us a considerable light at night, in the absence of the moon"; and again, "On the evening of the 27th we witnessed a most brilliant exhibition of Aurora Australis Before 10 o'clock bright streamers darted upwards from the cloud to the zenith, forming