  Results of a ground-based optical monitoring campaign on 3C 390.3 in 1994-95
are presented. The broad-band fluxes (B, V, R, and I), the spectrophotometric
optical continuum flux F(5177) and the integrated emission-line fluxes of Ha,
Hb, Hg, HeI, and HeII all show a nearly monotonic increase with episodes of
milder short-term variations superposed. The amplitude of the continuum
variations increases with decreasing wavelength (4400-9000 A). The optical
continuum variations follow the variations in the ultraviolet and X-ray with
time delays, measured from the centroids of the cross- correlation functions,
typically around 5 days, but with uncertainties also typically around 5 days;
zero time delay between the high-energy and low-energy continuum variations
cannot be ruled out. The strong optical emission lines Ha, Hb, Hg, and HeI
respond to the high-energy continuum variations with time delays typically
about 20 days, with uncertainties of about 8 days. There is some evidence that
HeII responds somewhat more rapidly, with a time delay of around 10 days, but
again, the uncertainties are quite large (~8 days). The mean and rms spectra of
the Ha and Hb line profiles provide indications for the existence of at least
three distinct components located at +-4000 and 0 km/s relative to the line
peak. The emission-line profile variations are largest near line center.
