A RECENT STAR SHOWER. 2O? 



because the theory which we are about to describe 

 seems at first sight too wild and fanciful for accept- 

 ance. It is only by showing the weakness of the only 

 other theory thus far advanced that we can expect 

 to claim attention for that which is now to be 

 brought forward; though we hope to show that 

 the new theory has strong independent evidence in 

 its favour. 



Since the November- meteors (still to follow their 

 history) were once very near to Uranus, for so much is 

 certainly known, while nevertheless it is very difficult 

 to believe that he captured them (acting as officer for 

 the sun) in the condition of a very compact cloud or 

 flight, no resource seems open to us but to believe that 

 he expelled them from his own orb by some mighty 

 eruptive action. And if we accept this view in the 

 case of the November meteors, we must adopt a 

 similar interpretation of the origin of meteor systems 

 generally. 



The new theory is then simply this, that, the streams 

 or systems which produce displays of shooting-stars, 

 as well as the comets with which such streams are 

 associated, were at some distant epoch expelled from 

 the interior of one or other of the major planets which 

 revolve outside the zone of asteroids. 



This theory sounds very startling at a first hearing. 

 Yet let it be remembered that, (1) we have been almost 

 forced to believe that meteoric masses have been expelled 

 from our sun or his fellow suns ; (2) it is almost certain 



