of Shooting Stars and Aerolites. 5 



in these circumstances, would be such stray ones as may re- 

 volve in minor orbits occasionally intersected by the circle c. 

 But let the electrical atmosphere from some annually recur- 



m> — ^ 



ring cause be temporarily extended to d, then while this con- 

 dition lasts, the meteors revolving in the ring a a would be 

 rendered visible during their course from e to^and (the ring 

 a a remaining always parallel to itself) the meteors would 

 appear (allowing for the effects of parallax) to proceed from 

 nearly the same points of the heavens. 



This explanation must however be regarded only as a rude 

 conjecture to remove an apparent difficulty; and as this dif- 

 ficulty, if a real one, may be equally explained on the planet- 

 ary and satellitary theory of meteors, it need not prevent us 

 from giving the preference to the latter, if the arguments 

 which I have adduced in its favour are of any weight. 



