Mr. W. R. Birt'a Observations on Shooting Stars. 41 



No. Time. DherthiK 



iS. 16 3 Considerably below Draco between it and 

 Bootes N.E. D.— Very brilliant. 

 ^ 46. 16 12 From between a Canes Venatici and Coma 

 Berenices towards Bootes. D. — Swift? small train. 



47. 16 18 From o past /3 and 7 Draconis. 11. — Path 

 curved. 



48. 16 24 From Leo Minor to Coma Berenices. D. 

 — Small. 



49. 16 43 From 77 Ursos Majoris to Caput Draconis. D. 



50. 16 59 From below the moon towards the horizon. 

 D.— Bright. 



51. 17 8 From between a Canes Venatici and Coma 

 Berenices to Arcturus. D. — Bright, swift. 



52. 17 11 Past 7? Bootes towards the horizon. D. — 

 Small. 



53. 17 14 From 9 to /3 Bootes. D.— Small. 



54. 17 25 From Coma Berenices to 7 Bootes. D. — 

 Small. 



The t's prefixed indicate the two most brilliant of the 

 shooting stars observed. 



I am not certain which of the two 45 and 46 left the small 

 train ; it was observed with one of them. 



At the commencement of the observations the meteors ap- 

 peared to emanate from, or approached to, a line drawn 

 through Castor and Pollux ; as the night advanced and Ge- 

 mini approached the meridian, this line was frequently crossed; 

 still a line parallel to it might be regarded as the axis which 

 the meteors either emanated from or approached to, until 

 they becoming more widely diffused over the eastern hemi- 

 sphere, and their directions more varied, such an axis ceased 

 to be recognised. 



As the observer commanded only the eastern quarter of the 

 heavens from north to south, an inspection of the following 

 table, in which the meteors are arranged according to the 

 constellations in or near which they ap))eared, will show 

 where they were most numerous in that quarter, namely, a 

 little north of east. The constellations in the second column 

 were within view of the observer during the night, while they 

 were above the horizon. The whole of the constellations in 

 the table are arranged (as nearly as possible for this method) 

 according to their relative situations in the heavens. 



