352 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The first conclusion one is likely to draw from results so contra- 

 dictory is that the original premise is entirely at fault. Yet within 

 the small area of France 50 well-authenticated meteorite falls have 

 taken place within the last one hundred years. We have no reason 

 to suppose France especially favored of the gods in regard to the 

 number of meteorites which it receives and, as it covers only about 

 one one-thousandth part of the earth's surface, we shall find by 

 reversing the calculations made above that our original figure of 900 

 a year is fully substantiated. Th-^ difficulty will be somewhat ex- 

 plained by a glance at the accompanying map. Tracing upon this 

 the locations of known meteorite falls, we see at once that they are 

 largely confined to the civilized nations, or, with the exception of the 

 Semites of Africa and Arabia, to regions inhabited by the Caucasian 

 race. Of a total of 63i known meteorites, 256 are located in Europe 

 and 177 in the United States. In other words, more than two thirds of 

 the whole number known belong to countries which occupy but about 

 one eighth of the land surface. 



We reach then the rather curious conclusion that the ability to 

 observe and record meteorite falls is a mark of civilization, and that 

 the relative civilization of regions equally populated may be judged 

 by the numbers of meteorites known from each. The superiority of 

 civilized peoples in this regard comes probably not so much from their 

 greater ability to observe the fall of a meteorite as from their better 

 facilities for recording such an occurrence and for preserving the stone 

 which has fallen. To an unorganized community, the fall of a 

 meteorite is an isolated occurrence, impressive enough at the time, 

 but so infrequent that in the absence of records or means of com- 

 munication with other communities, it is lost sight of. Civilized com- 

 munities with their means of records and museums are able to corre- 

 late such occurrences, and in time accumulate important knowledge 

 regarding them. So upon the accompanying map there are depicted 

 not only the places where meteorites have fallen, but the isolation of 

 China, the bleakness of Canada, the impenetrability of South America, 

 the hollowness of Australia and the darkness of Africa. Meteorites 

 known from uncivilized countries should for the most part be credited 

 to travelers from civilized nations. 



It would be quite superficial, however, to suppose that the distri- 

 bution of Caucasian peoples is the only important factor affecting the 

 location of known meteorite falls. There are evidences that other fac- 

 tors, the nature of which can hardly be even suggested as yet, affect 

 the place of fall of meteorites. Thus, there appears upon the accom- 

 panying map a tendency of these bodies to flock toward mountainous 

 regions. This is indicated by the large numbers of them occurring in 

 India near the Himalayas, in Europe in the vicinity of the Alps, in the 

 United States about the southern Appalachians, and in the Americas 



