A METEORITE FROM ZULULAND. TI3 



] could find no fragments of the meteor, which appeared 

 too tough to break, though it had cracks caused bv the impact 

 I think." 



The dust from the collision went up the hill, but the large 

 pieces of the crushed stone spread in all directions round the 

 hollow in the ground, which at the spot is nearly all rock with 

 very little soil, and is principally vertical schist, with white 

 c[uartz and whinstone. 



As far as I can gather, the meteor came down nearly 

 vertical, though in a slanting direction towards north, striking 

 the southern slope of the hill at right angles to it, as it did not 

 rebound, but only rolled down the hill about 12 feet from where 

 it struck. It could not have been very hot. as the old dry grass 

 where it fell, was not singed. \\'hile in the air nothing was 

 visible except a little smoke following its course, but some 

 natives say it was bright like a star, and had a tail like a comet, 

 followed by a line of smoke. 



(Signed) G. M. Gunderson. 



for Zacaria Dhladhla. 



Extract from Circular No. 3. 1912, November 26th, of the 

 Union Observatory. 



]\rr. Brandon, the Magistrate at Mpofana, supplies the 

 following addttional remarks : — 



At 1.30 p.m.. I was sitting in my house after lunch, when 

 I heard a sound as of crackling wood. 



I rushed out, thinking the house was on fire, and saw all 

 the natives pointing to the sky. 



Looking up. I saw a long line of smoke across the sky from 

 West to East, which soon disappeared. 



The sergeant of police camg to ni}' house a few minutes 

 afterwards saying he had been on the hill for a walk, and had 

 heard a huge explosion, and feared a disaster at one of the 

 Natal coal mines. 



\\> could get no particulars for some days, but about a weeic 

 afterwards I heard that a meteorite had faHen on the Pokinyoni 

 hill in the N'kandhla district of Zululand, about 18 miles from 

 here.- 



Dr. R. Broome. — " Dr. Robert Broome, the authority on 

 South African palaeontology," says Science of October 31st, *' is 

 visiting America for a year of scientific research, especially upon 

 the ancient vertebrates of the Permian period. He has accepted 

 a tem])orary appointment upon the staft' of the American Museum 

 of Natural History for this purpose, and has brought with him his 

 pri\ate collection of South African Permian reptiles." 



