Chapman. — Notes on a Meteoric Appearance. 145 



and two slight bulbous swellings near ihe top, the beginning, 

 perhaps, of expans on. By Miss Maguire's kindness and cour- 

 tesy I am able to show you the original sketches. It was seen 

 from Otaki, Wanganui, Halcombe, New Plymouth, Waiuku, and 

 Auckland. The times from all these places agree, and also the 

 description, except that some of the details are wanting from 

 New Plymouth, whence the sketch is of two balls of light with 

 an interven'ng streak of light. 



The following azimuths have been given : Hokitika, " in 

 the north-western sky " ; Nelson, two observers 292°, and a 

 third observer 315° magnetic ; at Wanganui an observation 

 was taken at a very late stage of a wisp of the cloud, the 

 bearing being 295° : New Plymouth, 310° ; Waiuku, exactly 

 above where the sun set (299° 16' true). From Auckland three 

 bearings are given : one, 358° magnetic, is an obvious mistake, 

 and probably a clerical error. The second is 243°. said to be 

 by observation with a prismatic compass : this being magnetic 

 would give 258° true. The difference between these two is over 

 100°, quite beyond personal error. The third Auckland bearing 

 is inexact — " to the south of west." There is also an azimuth 

 from Otaki — W.N.W., or 303° 45'. These discrepancies may 

 partly disappear when we learn which observations are " true " 

 and which " magnetic." 



There is a like discrepancy in the observations for alt tude. 

 Even three observations from the same place are discordant. 

 The altitudes given are from 10° to 40°. Of course the real 

 altitude would not be the same for different places, but one 

 would like agreement between different observations from the 

 same place. The New Plymouth observer, Mr. Palmer, a sur- 

 veyor, gives 35°. My guess was 16°. The Otaki observer puts 

 it at 12°. The Otaki altitude ought to coincide with whatever is 

 correct for Waikanae. Mr. Buckeridge, of Auckland, gives " 15°, 

 taken with a Barker's altitude instrument." Two sheets of 

 paper, which I will call " A " and " B," were sent me from 

 Nelson, with the angles drawn as follows : Horizon to bottom 

 of streak— A, 3° 30' ; B, 6° : horizon to top of streak— A, 10° ; 

 B, 17°. Another Nelson altitude is 30°. No hypothesis can be 

 formed which will reconcile all these ; we can only hope to 

 eliminate the bad ones. 



The total length of the original streak is reckoned as between 

 6° and 10°, expanding to 15°, or perhaps 20° — i.e., from top 

 to bottom, not following windings. The total length of the 

 ribband of cloud, following windings, might reach 35°. or perhaps 

 more. The breadth at the beginn'ng, as I saw it, was minute, 

 and the light so strong that the apparent breadth may have been 

 due to irradiation. The breadth at the end of a quarter of an 



