eat influence in the growth of our knowledge with regard to
the sun, is the remarkable piece of good fortune by which the countries
around the Mediterranean, so easy of access, have been favoured with a
comparatively large number of total eclipses during the past sixty
years. Tracks of totality have, for instance, traversed the Spanish
peninsula on no less than five occasions during that period. Two of
these are among the most notable eclipses of recent years, namely, those
of May 28, 1900, and of August 30, 1905. In the former the track of
totality stretched from the western seaboard of Mexico, through the
Southern States of America, and across the Atlantic Ocean, after which
it passed over Portugal and Spain into North Africa. The total phase
lasted for about a minute and a half, and the eclipse was well observed
from a great many points along the line. A representation of the corona,
as it appeared on this occasion, will be found on Plate VII. (B), p.
142.

The track of the other eclipse to which we have alluded, _i.e._ that of
August 30, 1905, crossed Spain about 200 miles to the northward of that
of 1900. It stretched from Winnipeg in Canada, through Labrador, and
over the Atlantic; then traversing Spain, it passed across the Balearic
Islands, North Africa, and Egypt, and ended in Arabia (see Fig. 6, p.
81). Much was to be expected from a comparison between the photographs
taken in Labrador and Egypt on the question as to whether the corona
would show any alteration in shape during the time that the shadow was
traversing the intervening space--some 6000 miles. The duration of the
total phase in this eclipse was nearly four minutes. Bad weather,
however, interfered a good deal with the observations. It was not
possible, for instance, to do anything at all in Labrador. In Spain the
weather conditions were by no means favourable; though at Burgos, where
an immense number of people had assembled, the total phase was,
fortunately, well seen. On the whole, the best results were obtained at
Guelma in Algeria. The corona on the occasion of this eclipse was a very
fine one, and some magnificent groups of prominences were plainly
visible to the naked eye (see the Frontispiece).

The next total eclipse after that of 1905 was one which occurred on
January 14, 1907. It passed across Central Asia and Siberia, and had a
totality lasting two and a half minutes at most; but it was not observed
as the weather was extremely bad, a c