Part 11

May 16. Occasional flashes of a few lines, while broad darkened area and cuniform area on right visible, and, in one flash, a line supporting the wedge as well as basal line. With no better seeing conditions than last night, more details came out, and for the first time I am encouraged to believe that each day an improvement will take place. I saw enough to make my first drawing.

May 17. Bad seeing. I made out only the broad southern band, the line at the northern pole and the wedge-shaped area to the right below, also a slight discoloration in the middle.

May 18. Not very good seeing. Could make out but little more than I did last night.

May 19. Seeing about the same, perhaps slightly less. Saw rift in southern dark band and north pole appeared luminous.

May 20. Mr. Lowell informed me this morning that the luminous appearance around the north pole that I saw last night was the result of a snowstorm. Seeing fair. Considerable vibration of planet. Saw new snow field of the northern pole distinctly outlined and much confused markings. Looked in vain for spots but could not discern them.

May 21. Seeing clearer, and for the first time I made out distinctly two spots, or oases. Mr. Lowell informed me that Schiaparelli had never seen them. The snow which fell on May 19 was still conspicuous.

May 22. With a headache and a seedy condition from not being acclimated, I yet found an improvement in my seeing capacities. I made out a promontory in the southern dark belt, also a canal running down from the Trivium.

May 23. Bad seeing. Could not define snow cap though dark southern band showed. Made no drawing.

May 24. Am in despair of seeing anything when the others see so much. I must have an old and worn-out retina. In looking, lines flash out at times but it is impossible to locate them. I can certainly see more than Huyghens did, but not much more.

May 25. Heavens very cloudy and Mars obscured.

May 26. Poor seeing--saw but a few markings.

May 27. Snow and hail storm in the afternoon. Temperature 35° at night. Seeing zero, and consequently no observation.

May 30. To-night markings and more particularly shades seemed abundant yet so evanescent that only an intimate knowledge by long study could define them. I gave up in despair.

May 31. Saw a little more than I saw last night but did not see a trace of things that Mr. Lowell and his assistants apparently saw without effort. I realize that it requires a special training to observe the flickering evanescent markings on Mars.

June 1. Though the best night yet for steady atmosphere I saw but little more and have come to the conclusion that it will take months of continuous observation before I can see anything.

June 2. I went to the Observatory to-night in despair of ever seeing anything more. Got into the observing chair and immediately saw a number of markings I had not seen before, as my drawings show. I have purposely refrained from studying the maps, and so do not know the names of the lines detected.

June 3. Atmosphere so unsteady that it was impossible to make anything out of Mars, so after struggling awhile gave it up in disgust.

June 4. Seeing about 4, yet manage to see a few planetary details.

June 5. I find a slow advance in my ability to see the markings though it is exasperating that the janitor of the Observatory talks about plainly seeing certain details which he indicates to me by a sketch, and looking at the region I can see no trace of a canal or anything else.

June 7. Seeing very good and in my observations tonight added another canal. It is a most difficult matter to catch the fleeting lines as they appear with startling distinctness to instantly vanish again.

June 9. Seeing fairly good. Could make out but little more. Color of regions very strong and vivid.

June 10. Seeing a little better than last night. Added three new canals, and these canals flashed out three or four times before I was willing to record them, and then I did not believe them till Mr. Lowell showed me a drawing he had made just before, and the two drawings corresponded.

June 11. Looked at eight o'clock and the markings of larger features came out strong and dark and yet the seeing was not estimated high.

June 12. Rather poor seeing though some of the dark regions came out with remarkable distinctness. Every day I notice a very slight improvement in detecting lines. Markings formerly made out with great difficulty are now instantly recognized.

June 13. In my observations to-night added one new canal and completed another, and was able to detect one that Mr. Lowell had not seen during the evening--a well-known one he says. It simply shows that one must continually observe as the lines flash out for a single instant.

June 14. Made out still another canal to-night. The markings show very clear, in fact some parts were vivid in distinctness and the lower part of Syrtis Major dark blue.

June 15. Poor seeing, yet I was able to see a few of the prominent features and defined the wedge-shaped region below.

On Plate IX I give a few of my drawings of Mars in which are indicated the lines I saw many times and was able to fix. Other lines flashed out for an instant but these were not recorded, simply because I could not definitely locate them.