Curious Shadow Effect

Abstract

IN connection with the “Curious Shadow Effect” mentioned by your correspondent, Mr. H. M. Warner (NATURE, January 28, p. 296), may I be permitted to direct your attention, and his, to a somewhat peculiar “species” of Brocken which I attempted to describe some years ago in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal (vol. ii. pp. 32–33, 1893)? I ask this, not with any idea of replying to Mr. Warner's inquiry, but to ask another question which perhaps may be answered at the same time. Referring to the above mentioned note, I ask the question, “How was it that more than one image was visible to each of our party?” “Standing close together, all five or six images were visible, all within the wide outer halo; but of course, not one of us saw more than one set of concentric rainbow bands or circles—R.O.Y.G.B.I.V.—and at the lower limbs of the halos nothing of our reflections could be seen, because we were standing slightly below the dip of the ridge.”