Shadow No. 2.

Scene near Lake Wakatipu, Otago.

The traveller at the foot of the mountain begins to ascend from the valley enveloped in a dense fog, without sign of sun. After an arduous climb he is half-way up the mountain-side, and sits down to rest, but soon starts again on his way, for all is cold, dank, and miserable. After breasting the slope for some time, suddenly he finds that he is, as it were, standing on the misty billows, which glisten white in the glorious sunshine, with a beautiful clear blue sky overhead.

The summit of each mountain is piercing through the mist, giving the appearance of numerous islands surrounded by a most beautiful sea of snowy and rounded billows.

Now, supposing the traveller to be standing on a narrow spur, or razorback, leading to the mountain-top, with a hollow curve, or basin, to his right, and the sun to his left, he will, all things being favourable, see his gigantic shadow lying on the mist, and around the head a circular halo of yellow-green, margined with or gradually changing into purple, something similar to that at times to be seen encircling the moon.

I have taxed my memory as to whether I have seen this more than once, which would seem probable, owing to my business at one time requiring that I should be almost constantly on the mountains after sheep; and also if any person was with me at the time. But after the lapse of years I can only connect this shadow-view with one particular place and time, when alone. Also, I was in the habit of always having a dog with me, but I have no remembrance of his being there, or seeing his shadow.

You will see by the accompanying sketch (Pl. III., fig. 2) that the halo did not surround the head, as is shown in old pictures of the saints, with a glory around the top of the head, but was upright, as if a centre was taken near what I may call the centre of eyesight of the figure, and the outer circle of the halo drawn equidistant from that centre, overhead and down towards the shoulders of the shadow, which might be supposed to look through it.

Should there be more than one observer each would probably see his own shadow only; but I have, as I before said, no remembrance of seeing this tested.

To see this is well worthy of a stiff climb up the mountain; but the particular contour of the spur, the elevation and position of the sun, are special requisites, and probably it would be hard to find places specially suitable for showing the shadow.

I wrote on this subject to a relative, now resident in Scotland. In answer he speaks with enthusiasm of the remembrance