Meanwhile, the comet had been slowly increasing in size, and by March 4, 1910, it presented the appearance shown in a remarkable photograph obtained at the Helwan Observatory. It was then suggestive of the nebulous-looking objects which had been catalogued as such by Herschel and Messier, but the latter, being more interested in comets, would soon have recognized, by means of the method already referred to, the difference as the comet slowly moved against the background of the stars. This is no reflection on the marvelous sight of Herschel, but when one reflects on the enthusiasm with which Messier hunted for comets, we may be sure any suspicious-looking object he came across was subjected to keen scrutiny before it was catalogued finally as one of those “embarrassing objects” he named “nebulæ.” During the autumn of 1909 and the early part of the year 1910 the comet was photographed and observed visually at all the great observatories. At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, a fine series of photographs were obtained despite the trying climate of our country. Up on the heights, at the Government Observatory at Kodaikanal in southern India, the progress of the comet was recorded by telescope and camera, so that our planet might be said on this occasion to have kept its Argus eye constantly directed toward the celestial visitant. According to Professor Barnard, who made a special study of the comet, its first appearance resembled that of a small and rather faint speck of light, very much like a faint stellar nebula. The increase in brightness was not very rapid, and as late as the final observations in February, 1910, before the comet passed behind the sun, it gave very little promise of the splendid display it was destined to make later on in the month of May. However, its reappearance from behind the sun in the morning skies of April and May could not have been under more unfortunate circumstances for observation at the Yerkes Observatory. According to Professor Barnard: “that part of the year is always unpropitious here, and it seemed as if everything combined, on this particular occasion, to hide from us the growth of the comet and its approach to the earth. Forest fires in the northern part of the State (Wisconsin) produced a densely smoky sky, which, even when the clouds were merciful to us and would have let us see the comet, cut off with a thick yellow veil all but a glimpse of the bright head.”