260 



THE NEBULAE HYPOTHESIS. 



At first sight this table seems not to warrant our state- 

 ment. Assuming the alleged general relation between the 

 inclinations of cometary orbits, and the directions in space 

 from which the comets come, the table may be thought to 

 show that the frequency of comets increases as we progress 

 from the plane of the ecliptic up to 45°, and then decreases 

 up to 90°. But this apparent diminution arises from the 

 fact that the successive zones of space rapidly diminish in 

 their areas on approaching the poles. If we allow for 

 this, we shall find that the excess of comets continues to 

 increase up to the highest angles of inclination. In the 

 table below, which, for convenience, is arranged in inverted 

 order, we have taken as standards of comparison the area 

 of the zone round the pole, and the number of comets it 

 contains ; and having ascertained the areas of the other 

 zones, and the numbers of comets they should contain were 

 comets equally distributed, we have shown how great be- 

 comes the deficiency in descending from the poles of the 

 ecliptic to its plane. 



