An Observation of Three Mock-Suns Seen in London, Friday, Sept. 17, 1736. by Martin Folkes, Esq; V. Pr. R. S.

XI An Observation of three Mock-Suns seen in London, Friday, Sept. 17, 1736. by Martin Folkes, Esq; V. Pr. R.S. TAB. II. FIG. 5. As I was reading this Morning a little after seven o’Clock, in a Room looking towards the North-East, I accidentally took Notice of an odd Stream of colour’d Light, shooting upwards from the Sun, as I then thought, shining through a thin waterish Cloud; but recollecting the Appearance was several Degrees more northerly than the Sun’s true Place at that Time, I immediately went to the Window, and found what I had taken for the Sun was a Parhelion shooting out a short horizontal Stream or Tail towards the North; the Sun itself shining pretty bright and clear at the same Time. I also observed, the Stream I had at first seen, was part of an Arch concentric to the Sun, and passing through the Parhelion: This Arch was for a good Way tolerably defin’d, and ting’d with Red on the Inside, and a blueish White on the other. I then cast my Eye to the other Side the Sun, where I perceiv’d a second Parhelion, at the same Distance from him, towards the South, tho’ not yet so bright as the first. I then went up to my Leads, my Prospect being too confin’d below: Where soon after I was come, I found the Phænomenon considerably to improve, the Arch round the Sun forming itself into more than a Semicircle, reaching almost to the Horizon Northward, and with very little Discontinuance. tinuance beyond the second Parhelion towards the South. I then began to perceive a third Parhelion where the Circle surrounding the Sun would have been cut by the Vertical passing through him; and in the same Place his Circle was touch'd by the Arch of another, in some sort confounding itself with it in the Place where the third Parhelion appear'd: This was fainter a good deal than the other two, and the last Arch I have been speaking of extended but a little way, so as for it to be difficult to determine where its Centre lay; this Arch was colour'd also, but with Red on its convex Part. I had some Time before this began to see also another Circle, surrounding the Sun at the Distance of about 45 Degrees, which appear'd to be about twice the Distance of the first; and this also increasing whilst I was considering it, became little less than a Semicircle, being also ting'd with Red like the other on the inner Side. When this Circle had thus pretty well form'd itself, I also discover'd the Arch of a fourth, touching this, or rather confounding itself with it, in its highest Part, and surrounding, as it seem'd, the Zenith. Of this last Circle I saw, when it was most complete, better than half, and it was much stronger colour'd than any of the others, being of a bright Red on its convex Part, and a good Blue on the Concave. In the Part where this Circle confounded itself with the larger of those that were concentric to the Sun, their common Part was nearly white, and brighter than the rest, though hardly enough to call it a forth Parhelion. The principal Mock-Suns continued tolerably bright till near eight o'Clock, the southern Part of the Phenomenon improving as the northern decayed; and the southern Parhelion was once so bright, that, taking the Advantage of a Place where a Chimney shaded the true Sun, it cast a very visible Shadow: The white and luminous horizontal Tail also, that went from this Parhelion, was much longer than that of the other, reaching at one Time beyond the outer of the two concentric Circles. The Parhelia themselves, tho' very luminous, were, however, never defin'd with any Exactness as to their Discs, but look'd as we sometimes see the Sun through a thin whitish Cloud, and they were themselves of a reddish Colour on that Side next the true Sun. About Eight the Phenomenon was sensibly decreas'd, and had entirely disappear'd by 20 Minutes after. XII. De Ruptura Intestini Ilei ex contusione externa sine vulnere externè inflicto ex Litteris à Christiano Wolfio, Prof. Mathem. Marpurg. Reg. Soc. Lond. & Acad. Reg. Scient. Paris. Socio ad Gulielmum Rutty, M.D. Soc. Reg. Lond. olim Secret. conscriptis excerpta Observatio. Mart. 3, 1731. * * * In rebus naturalibus nihil mihi hactenus occurrit, quod sit notatu dignum, nisi quod anno superiori functo quodam casu operarius quidam vitam finiit. Saxum scilicet in ventrem infimum declapsum cum percussit, ut locus affectus in conspectum quidem.