108 SCIENCE IN SHORT CHAPTERS. 



ularities this year. They have been very unpunctual, and 

 have not come from their right place. We have heard 

 something from Italy, but not the tidings of the Leonides 

 that were expected. Instead of the great display of the 

 month occurring on the 13th and 14th, it was seen on the 

 27th. We have accounts from different parts of England, 

 Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, also from Italy, Greece, 

 Egypt, etc. 



Mr. Slinto, in a letter to the Times, estimates the num- 

 ber seen at Suez as reaching at least 30,000, while in Italy 

 and Athens about 200 per minute were observed. They 

 were not, however, the Leonides, that is, they did not radi- 

 ate from a point in the constellation Leo, but from the re- 

 gion of Andromeda. Therefore they were distinct from 

 that system of small wanderers usually designated the 

 "November meteors," were not connected with Tempel's 

 comet (comet 1, 1866), but belong to quite another set. 



The question now discussed by astronomers is whether 

 they are connected with any other comet, and, if so, with 

 which comet? 



In the "Monthly Notices" of the Royal Astronomical 

 Society, published October 24th last, is a very interesting 

 paper by Professor Herschel, on "Observations of Meteor 

 Showers," supposed to be connected with " Biela's comet," 

 in which he recommends that " a watch should be kept 

 during the last week in November and the first week in 

 December," in order to verify "the ingenious suggestions 

 of Dr. Weiss," which, popularly stated, amount to this, 

 viz., that a meteoric cloud is revolving in the same orbit as 

 Biela's comet, and that in 1772 the earth dashed through 

 this meteoric orbit on December 10th. In 1826 it did the 

 same, on December 4th; in 1852 the earth passed through 

 the node on November 28th, and there are reasons for ex- 

 pecting a repetition at about the same date in 1872. 



The magnificent display of the 27th has afforded an im- 

 portant verification of these anticipations, which become 

 especially interesting in connection with the curious his- 

 tory of Biela's comet, which receives its name from M. 

 Biela, of Josephstadt, Avho observed it in 1826, calculated 

 its orbit, and considered it identical with the comets of 



