206 THE BORDERLAND OF SCIENCE. 



stream is now a part of the solar system, and therefore, 

 if Uranus ever acted in the manner supposed, he must 

 have captured at least all the November stream at 

 present recognised. That stream must once have been 

 many million times more compact than it is at present ; 

 its associated comet must once have been so condensed 

 (and in close company with the meteors) as to be utterly 

 unlike the comet which Dr. Huggins examined with his 

 spectroscope in 1866 ; and, in fine, added to all the mar- 

 vels of the capture itself, we have to account for the 

 most astounding changes of condition alike in comet 

 and in meteor train. 



To this it must be added that the same difficulties 

 present themselves in accounting not only for all the 

 known meteor systems, but for the myriads of meteor 

 systems which must exist in order to explain (with any 

 degree of probability) the fact that the small earth 

 encounters so many. Thus it appears that Schiaparelli's 

 ideas as to the origin of the meteor streams now 

 forming part of our solar system are open to grave 

 exception. It appears to me, indeed, that they are 

 demonstrably untenable in at least the great majority 

 of known instances. 



We have thus been careful to exhibit the great 

 difficulties which surround Schiaparelli's views,* 



* It must be understood that our objections by no means extend to 

 the important theory established by Schiaparelli, that meteors and 

 comets are associated. It was in recognition of this theory, and cer- 

 tainly not in deference to his ideas as to the origin of meteors, that the 

 Astronomical Society recently awarded its gold medal to Schiaparelli. 



