PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 359 



the north-east. It appeared to light up the whole of the city for 

 an instant. It very quickly changed; the head seemed to swell, 

 and in an instant it spread out, apjDarently bursting into thousands 

 of pieces of all the colours of the rainbow, but with no noise — 

 the tail remained a beautiful white." 



A resident of Mundoora also wrote Mr. Russell as follows: — 



" I saw the meteor of 28th August when walking home. 

 Beautiful moonlight night, no clouds, clear frosty atmosphere. 

 Direction due west, and altitude when first seen about 6 degrees, 

 as near as I can guess; direction when it burst was due east, and 

 altitude about 8 degrees. It went right across the sky from west 

 to east. The light was brighter than moonlight — could have read 

 the smallest print. When the meteor was passing, and when it 

 burst the light was as bright as sunlight, of a blue colour, like 

 the electric light, and the noise v.'as terrific — like tremendous can- 

 nonading, and was followed by a rattle like thunder right across 

 the sky. I seemed to see the noise as it was travelling, if you can 

 understand the feeling. I did not feel the earth tremble, and 

 v/as standing firmly wondering what was going to happen next. 

 It was truly a wonderful sight — I saw it at the start, and was 

 walking due west at the time." 



Mr. Russell quotes another instance, which occurred on ISth 

 June, 1896, of a brilliant meteor which was observed at various 

 places from Queensland to Broken Hill. At Wilcannia it was 

 succeeded by a rumbling sound, and houses shook as if an earth- 

 quake had taken place. 



Mr. L. A. Wells, explorer, reports — 



" On the 23rd April, 1897, whilst myself and party were re- 

 turning from the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia, after 

 £..n unsuccessful search for the missing members of the Calvert 

 Expedition, and travelling down ' Jirgurra ' Creek, en route for 

 the Fitzroy River and Derby, we had camped for the night, and 

 shortly after dark a most brilliant meteor appeared in the sky 

 and lit up the surrounding country. It was travelling from east 

 to west, and appeared to explode, ending in a shower of sparks. 

 Some minute or two afterwards we heard a terrific explosion or 

 report like cannon. I asked my native boy what it was, and he 

 replied that there were plenty like that in his country. 



•' Again, on or about the 23rd of March, 1898, whilst camped 

 in the open air, at ' Cariapateena,' a run on the western shores of 

 Lake Torrens, and some time after dark, I saw another brilliant 

 meteor. After timing one and a half minutes by my watch, I con- 

 cluded there would be no report, when almost immediately after- 

 wards I heard another loud report resembling the one previously 



