Spectral observations of the Venus dayglow from 1200--1800 ¿ were made with the Pioneer Venus ultraviolet spectrometer (13-¿ resolution), a sounding rocket telescope and spectrometer (4-¿ resolution, and the International Ultraviolet Explorer (0.4-¿ resolution). Emissions due to H I, C I, O I, and the CO fourth positive system are identified. Emission rate factors for the fourth positive system are calculated using a high-resolution solar flux. The importance of solar emission line excitation to this fluorescence spectrum is shown. In particular, several bands of the v' = 14 progression are identified and their excitation mechanism is shown to be fluorescent scattering of solar Lyman &agr; radiation. The CO (14, 5) band at 1392 ¿ is a prominent unblended spectral feature in the Venus dayglow. The (14, 3) and (14 ,4) bands at 1317 and 1354 ¿ are blended with the O I 1304- and 1356-¿ features in lower-resolution spectra. This identification resolves the problem of the interpretation of the ratio of the O I 1304/1356 ¿ emissions from Venus. It also provides an additional remote sensing technique to determine the density distribution of CO in the upper atmosphere of Venus.