Ixx. 



a coloured tail on Nov. 24. Another on Jan. 19 last from 

 Reading and other places at 7.0 p.m., brighter than the full 

 moon, which burst with a loud report and much vibration. 

 One was actually observed to fall in Zululand on Aug. 1, 1912. 

 It weighed 381bs., and consisted almost entirely of nickel- 

 iron alloy. But the most extraordinary recent meteoric 

 display was in America and Canada on Feb. 9, 1913, when 

 three distinct groups of several meteors each passed over at 

 intervals, following each other along the same path, each 

 remaining in view for about 20 seconds, and in some cases 

 finishing up with an explosion. The complete display lasted 

 about three minutes, and there were about 30 bodies alto- 

 gether, which came in sets of threes and fours, those in each 

 set moving abreast of each other. By the time this wonderful 

 procession had reached Bermuda most of the large leading 

 bodies had disappeared, whilst the number of groups and 

 trailers had increased. It would be a painful thing to have 

 to give up the idea of the wonderful canals on Mars of which 

 we have heard so much, and to which has been ascribed such 

 extraordinary significance ; but everything has its day, and 

 it is now suggested that recent observations tend to resolve 

 them into disconnected knots of diffused shadings. How 

 far this is accepted by astronomers I do not know, but it is 

 accompanied by a statement that Mars is almost always in a 

 frozen condition, and is therefore probably not inhabited at 

 all. But it seems to me that, considering the great variety 

 of man and animals found on even this our earth, it is by no 

 means fair to assume that Mars cannot contain intelligent or 

 other beings on account of the fact that its temperature 

 approaches that of our Arctic regions, for even there life is 

 by no means absent, as the Esquimaux manage to survive, 

 and on Mars there may exist a far more hardy race. But 

 whether we shall ever be able to do more than theorise is 

 doubtful. Coming now to our earth and its satellite, it has 

 been calculated that the brightness of the earth's albedo or 

 earthshine is about 1-1 600th of that of the rest of the moon. 

 Attempts which have lately been made to photograph the 



