Kirkwood.] f^^O '^^^^' 



ating from Leo, was sufficient to indicate the commencement of 

 the shower. Remembering that Humboldt, in 1*799, had seen a 

 number of meteors after sunrise, I took a position at 8 o'clock, 

 A. M., on the west side of a building (in the shade), and watched 

 the vicinity of the radiant, in the hope of observing some of the 

 largest meteors. Glimpses of 5 or 6 were, as I thought, actually 

 obtained, when, in order to guard against optical deception, I 

 called Mr. Allison Maxwell, a tutor in the State University, who 

 watched about 15 minutes. This gentleman reported that he 

 saw 07ie beyond doubt, and three others less certainly. I men- 

 tion the case as being the first since the commencement of the 

 present century-, in which meteors of the November stream ha^'e 

 been (probably) seen in the daytime. 



On the night of the 13th, a committee of the senior class in 

 the university kept watch from eleven o'clock, P. M., till 4 h. 

 15 m., A. M., when, having counted 2500, they adjourned. The 

 maximum was about 3 h. 30 m. : 900 meteors having been 

 counted during the 45 minutes immediately preceding. Many 

 of the meteors were very brilliant, leaving long trains, some of 

 which continued visible several minutes. Three or four were 

 observed to explode, or separate into several fragments. No 

 sound, however, was in any case perceived. 



At 4 h. 55 m. (40 minutes after the committee at the univer- 

 sity adjourned). Prof. Wylie commenced observing at his resi- 

 dence, and continued his watch until 6 h. 11 m., counting T80 in 

 1 h. IGm. The whole number therefore actually counted in 

 6 h. 31 m. was 3280. A portion of the heavens was at times 

 overcast with clouds ; especiall}^ was this the case shortly after 

 4 o'clock, when the committee of students adjourned. 



At frequent intervals throughout the night a lull occurred in 

 the display ; while at other times for a few seconds the meteors 

 were so numerous that the}' could scarcely be counted. 



A remarkable feature in the shower of the present year is its 

 duration. As seen in Europe in ISGG, and in this country in 

 18G1, the display was limited to 3 or 4 hours. On the present 

 occasion, however, it commenced on the night of the 12th, and 

 had not ceased at da3'light on the morning of the 14th. This 

 would indicate considerable irregularity in the thickness of the 

 stream. 



