106 Transactions. — Miscellaneotis. 



expanded — that is, the two centre streamers wove of uniform 

 length, and the outer ones gradually shortening, so the outer- 

 most streamer on either side was very much shorter than those 

 in the middle. These streamers were of a dull, opaque orange. 

 They were distinctly divided each from each by dark bands 

 w'hich consisted of several fine black lines, to, probably, the 

 number of five in each band. I am unable to fix the number 

 of orange streamers, but would guess ten as probably correct. 

 As the colours blue and gi-een were certainly present, I place 

 them outside the orange streamers — say a band of green next 

 the outermost orange streamer on each side, and beyond, again, 

 a band of blue. Otherwise these colours would have obscured 

 the black lines, if contiguous to them. The head was 

 distinctly outlined and of only the one colour ; the tail 

 almost perpendicular, and looking along it was as looking 

 up a ladder. No sound was audible when the meteor 

 was in view, but after I had gone into the house, and was 

 describing what I had seen, the sound of its striking the 

 earth or sea was heard — a loud and lengthened noise, to 

 me like the violent shaking of all the forest trees, and evidently 

 above ground, thereby differing from the sound accompanying 

 an earthquake — coming from the westward ; and this was 

 followed, after a hardly perceptible interval, by a fainter 

 sound, like an echo, to the north-east. This place is surrounded 

 by forest trees, which would to a certain extent affect the 

 character of the sound. The time w^hich elapsed till the sound 

 was heard was from three to five minutes. The direction of 

 flight was from east to west, looking southerly. Appended 

 is a sketch which will give an idea' of the scene, and several 

 newspaper-clippings, which are interesting as pointing to direc- 

 tion of flight and also as showing the discrej)ancy in descrip- 

 tions given by several observers. At the same time it must be 

 borne in mind that numbers of people are more or less colour- 

 blind, and so incapable of giving an accurate description of 

 colours. 



Eoughly speaking, I should say the line of flight was a little 

 to the south of a line drawn between Herbertville, on the east 

 coast, to Foxton, on the opposite coast. 



Newspapek Exteacts. 



iHmuke's Bay Herald, 7th May, 1888.] 



Our Waipawa correspondent writes as follows under 

 Saturday's date : Last evening, at about 9.20 o'clock, we 

 were visited by another brilliant meteor. It was accompanied 

 bv a loud noise in the air, and there were tremors when it 

 apparently reached the earth, the effect being like an earth- 

 quake. 



