A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 411 



At a somewhat later hour than the last of the above observations, the 

 August meteoric shower appears to have reached its maximum in America. 



New York Herald, August 12th.—" Poughkeepsie, August, 11th, 1867:— 

 Shortly after one o'clock tins morning an entirely clear sky was visible .... 

 From one tiU two a.m. over seventy meteors were counted, and from that 

 time tni half-past three a.m. they increased in number so fast that they could 

 not be counted. Three of them were of great brilliancy. By four o'clock 

 A.M. the unusual exhibition had entirely ceased." 



The rarest displays of sliower-meteors are comparatively brief in their 

 duration, and Mr. Marsh points out " that observations extending over several 

 days, and variously situated in longitude, are needed, in order to show 

 the earth's progress through the group, and to determine the exact time of 

 central passage." 



V. Papers relating to Observations of Luminous Meteors. 



1. Professor Newton, on " The Pielative JN'umber of Shooting-stars seen in 

 a given Period by diiferent numbers of Observers." (American Journal of 

 Science, 2nd ser. vol. xli. p. 192.) 



The results of this careful series of observations made at ISTowhaven, Con- 

 necticut, on the morning of the 15th of November 18G5, may be referred to 

 as a common standard for determining the rate of ai)parition of meteors in 

 cases where several observers combine together to register their numbers. 



During the three hours, from midnight imtil three o'clock a.m., on the 

 morning of the 15 th of November, twelve observers at Newhaven were so 

 arranged that two looked to the zenith, and the remaining ten divided the 

 points of the compass equally between them. As each observer saw a meteor 

 he called his name, which was entered by an initial letter in tho register. By 

 three o'clock 186 meteors were counted. 



The average number seen by each person was 38'75. Hence the propor- 

 tion — 



No. seen by one observer : No. seen by twelve : : 38*75 : 186 (1) 



The average number seen by two persons looking towards opposite points 

 of the compass (taking all the pairs of such observers) was 75-4 : and hence 



No. seen by two observers : No. seen by twelve : : 75-4 : 186 (2) 



The average number seen by three observers looking nearly symmetrically 

 to different points of the compass (taking all the combinations of such obser- 

 vers) was 99-7. Whence 



No. seen by three observers : No. seen by twelve : : 99-7 : 186 (3) 



Proceeding thus with all the symmetrical combinations of four, five, six, or 

 more observers, and comparing the results with the similar results obtained 

 by a party of six observers on the night of the 15th of August 1865, the 

 numbers seen by more or less numerous observers are shown in the following 

 Table, which also contains the relative numbers seen by different parties of 

 observers, in the time that four observers would take to count 100. 



