o 8h. om. I counted fifty meteors. The observer's face was 
orth-west. The sky was clear to within ten or fifteen degrees 
of the horizon. The meteors were generally very small, and I 
_ noticed only fowr or five near the zenith that left trails behind 
that endured a few seconds. Jn one respect the meteors were 
_ remarkable : they all appeared to radiate from a point between 
the great square in Pegasus and the chair in Cassiopeia, so that 
_ during my two watches I saw but a single meteor that could pro- 
perly be called sporadic. By laying down some of the tracks on 
a globe, I found the following rough position of the radiant 
‘point :— 
: AR = 355°, Decl. = + 43°. 
From this position of the radiant point I have computed the 
following elements of the orbit of the meteoric stream, and by 
_ the side of these have placed the corresponding number of 
_ Biela’s comet :— 
Meteoric Stream. Biela’s Comet 
7 = 89°5° 7 = 109°0? 
a = 246°1 a = 245°9 
z = 15°4 z = 12°6 
logg = —-9'976 logg. = 9°933 
___ These elements are so much alike, that there can be but little 
_ doubt that the meteors are the transformed particles of Biela's 
comet. Asari HALL 
Washington, Dec. 1 
_ ON the evening of November 27, Prof. Tingley, of 
_ Asbury University, Greencastle, Indiana, observed a remarkable 
shower of falling stars. The number counted in 40 minutes, 
_ from 7h. 15m. to 7h. 55m., was 110. This would give 165 per 
_ hour for one observer. But according to Prof. Newton (Si//- 
mars Fournal, for January 1868, p. 80), the whole number 
visible at any station, when the sky is entirely clear, is five times 
_ the number seen by a single observer. The enumeration by 
_ Prof. Tingley accordingly indicates an actual fall of 825 per 
hour. 
____ It was remarked by the writer several years since* that the 
last days of November were worthy of close attention as the 
probable date of a meteoric shower. The same period had been 
_ previously designated by Mr. R. P. Greg, as an aérolitic epoch. 
_ The observed showers of falling stars which may be referred to 
_ this stream are as follows : — 
; A.D. 837, Nov. 12, cor. to Nov. 27 for 1850. 
899, 18, Dec. 2 os 
1850, 29 
1872 2 
7 
2 
__ The epoch corresponds with that at which the earth crosses 
_ the orbit of Biela’s comet. This body is no longer visible in its 
cometary form, having undergone the process of disintegration— 
a process which doubtless commenced at a very remote period. 
_ The fact, then, can scarcely be doubted that the meteors of this 
epoch are the results of this comet’s gradual dissolution. 
\ DANIEL Kirkwoop 
- Bloomington, Ind., Nov. 28 
THE aurora of Nov. 27—the evening of the meteoric display— 
_ was seen by me near Liverpool. It appears to have been very 
" partial in its manifestation, to judge by the published accounts. 
_ There was merely a hazy or diffused cloudy light, devoid both of 
_ colouring and symmetry of form. This variety of aurora I have 
__ observed on several occasions, when it appears to have attracted 
but few observers. 
_ Imay draw attention now to the fact of another display of 
_ aurora on Nov. 10 (noticed first at about 11.20 P.M.). This 
_ was of the usual form, ruddy, and radiating from a horizontal 
_ band of light in the north. It was followed by a week of much 
colder weather than had preceded it. 
_Liverpool, Dec. 13 SAMUEL BARBER 
As the number of meteors which I counted on the evening of 
Wednesday last, November 27, varied considerably from the 
number in Mr. Lowe’s tables (Zimes, November 29), I beg to 
offer you my observations, in case they should be of any value on 
account of the more southern point from which they were taken. 
T lay down on my back upon the flat roof of the house in which 
* “Meteoric Astronomy,” p. 55. 
Pe» ry 
NATURE 
oqaney # 
ee ees) 
T live, and looked up towards the zenith. The radiating point of 
most of the meteors seemed to be in the area between Cassiopeia 
and Perseus. I observed a bright one between the stars repre- 
senting the feet of Andromeda. It disappeared without traversing 
almost any visible track or angular distance, from which I drew 
the inference that it was near theradiating point. The number I 
counted was as follows :— 
Time. No. in Average 
h. m. 5 minutes. No, per minute. 
6 34—39 150 30 
6 39—44 140 28 
6 45—50 150 30 
6 50—55 180 36 
7 I—6 160 32 
7 7-12 160 32 
7 17-22 170 34 
fe Sees 180 36 
7 49-45 180 36 
8 48—53 150 30 
lo 5—I0 rare) 16 
10 24 29 70 I4 
Between 8 and 8.30, a friend and I counted together about 50 
per minute. J. F. ANDERSON 
Pau, Dec. 2 
The De Novo Production of Living Things 
In reply to Mr. E. Ray Lankester’s inquiry in the last 
number of NATURE, I beg to state that the specific gravity of 
an infusion of turnip, prepared inthe manner I have directed, was 
found to be 1012, whilst that of an infusion of hay was 1005. 
H. CHARLTON BAs?IAN 
University College, London, Dec. 16 
The Ocean Rainfall 
ON reading the article on ‘‘ The Meteorology of the Future,” 
in NATURE, December 12, I pondered over this passage—‘‘ It 
is impossible to determine the rainfall over the ocean ;” and it 
occurred to me that it- is possible to do something in that line 
approximately. Is the Challenger supplied with rain- 
gauges ? Would it not be possible to determine in some measure 
the hourly amount of rainfall over the ocean, in the zones of 
greatest precipitation, or in those of periodical rains, without de- 
taining the ship unduly ; and would not such data be useful in 
solving some of the problems connected with the working out of 
the law of cyclones ? 
Another suggestion has occurred to me—that is, that rain- 
gauges might be placed in “ floating lights,” and the rainfall at 
sea thus obtained. I need not now inguire through what channel 
this might be effected, or what/particular structure and fixing of 
the gauges might be necessary. I should be glad to elicit the 
opinion of some of the readers of NATURE as to the practica- 
bility and utility of such a scheme. , S.H. MILier 
Wisbech, Dec. 14 
Ocean Meteorological Observations 
AN examination of the discussion of the daily range of the 
barometer for square No. 3, published under Fitzroy’s direction 
in 1861, which Mr. Symons has referred to at page 68 of this 
volume, shows that the results there arrived at can only be con- 
sidered to be good as corrections for hourly observations of the 
barometer on the mean of the year. As regards the months, the 
results are, on account of the fewness of the observations on 
which they are based, too imperfect as indications of the true 
range to be available in correcting the averages on the large 
January chart issued by the Meteorological Committee. Since, 
moreover, the barometric range for January differs from that for 
the year, the hourly corrections for range on the mean of the 
year should not be applied to the January observations printed 
on the large chart. 
Again, the prevalence in January of the south-easterly trades 
in the southern portion of the square, the prevalence of the 
north-easterly trades in the northern portion, and variable winds 
between, and the unequally clouded state of the sky which re- 
sults therefrom, render it certain that range corrections must 
