374 KEPORT — 1867. 



earth's surface in the neighbiu'hood of Dundee. (Proceedings of the Glasgow 

 Philosophical Society, vol. vi. p. 207.) 



(7) 1867, August 9th, 11" 46" p.m. (London and Birmingham). 



Two bright meteors of the August shower, in almost exactly the same 

 quarter of the sky, were recorded simultaneously at Birmingham and London 

 at this hour (see Catalogue). The resemblance between the two meteors is, 

 however, casual ; for the lines of sight, instead of converging towards each 

 other very rapidly, as might be expected to take place from the great distance 

 between the stations if a single meteor were under consideration, actually 

 diverge from each other to an extent of 5^ or 6°, and evidently point to two 

 different meteors appearing almost simultaneously in time and in the same 

 quarter of the sky at either place. 



(8) 1867, August 10th, lO"^ 57"° p.m. (Birmingham and London). 



The two bright meteors simultaneously recorded at this time by strict ob- 

 servations at Birmingham and London, during a period of jjositive scarcity of 

 shooting-stars, correspond exactly in their apparent place of disappearance 

 with the supposition of a large displacement by parallax (of about 45°) in 

 the direction of a straight line joining Birmingham and London. The iden- 

 tity of the two meteors must accordingly be regarded as perfectly confirmed, 

 although the partial view obtained at London permits only the end point, or 

 point of disappearance, to be fixed. This was at a height of seventy-six miles 

 above the earth's surface in the neighbourhood of Bristol. 



^5^ 



II. Lap.ge Meteoes. 



(1) 1862, April 25th, 8'' 20™ p.m. (local time), Hobart Town, 

 Yan Diemen's Land. 



The following account of a large meteor seen in the southern hemisphere 

 appears in the ' Eesults of twenty-five years' Meteorological Observations for 

 Hobart Town,' by F. Abbot, F.ll.A.S., p. 17. Although appearing in the 

 southern sky, the meteor belongs to a date when fine meteors ai-e not uncom- 

 monly seen in considerable numbers in the northern hemisphere ; and it is 

 frequently the case that meteoric displays are \-isible at the same time in both 

 the noi'th and south hemispheres of the globe. 



" On the 25th of April 1862, while observing the accompanying cluster 

 K Crux at 8'' 20" p.m., a remarkably fine meteor crossed the zenith from v in 

 the constellation of Centaurus, to Nebula Major. By estimation the meteor 

 was about 1 5' in diameter, traversing about 00^ in four seconds of time, leaving 

 a long and remarkable train of sparks that continued, from fii\st to last, about 

 ten minutes, which gradually contracted into an oblong form from 1° to 2° in 

 diameter, and for a time appeared to station itself a httle to the west of y Crux. 

 During the time of transit the meteor gave a brilliant illumination, much 

 more incandescent than that produced by the full moon.'' 



(2) 1866, November 14th, 12" 52'" 30' a.m., G. M. T (Aberdeen)*. 



" Being in the observatoiy for a few minutes, I was called by Professor 

 Thomson ; thinking it simply an expression of delight, I paid no attention to 

 it, except to note^ the time. I was twice called again, and running out, -was 



* Thi? and the two following descriptions of large meteors are contained in a Report 

 on the Meteors ot the 13th-14th of Jsovember, 186(3, to Professor Grant, of the Glasgow 

 Observatory, by Mr, D. Gill, Assistant at the Observatory, King's College, Aberdeen. 



