392 REPORT—1868. 
“ At Florence.—Professor Donati reports (Bullettino Meteorologico, Sep- 
tember 1867) the following results of observations on the number and time 
of maximum frequency of the meteors. 
Number of meteors seen during the hour ending at No. of 
Date, (Florence M. T.) oe Observers. 
1867. 1) 0 (ea TS HN ne 2h 3b 4h 
August. | P.M. | P.M. | P.M. | AM. | AM. [| A.M. | A.M. 
seria he | 85. | “a5 | 299 9| Jor "sei "BO aay 3 
10toll | 32 48 39 50 | 122 | 160 | 106 557 4 
11 to 12 27 27 30 34 53 94 86 351 3 
12 to 13 6 24 12 14 18 28 28 130 2 
13 to 14 3 6 6 6 9 if 10 47 1 
Total 1322 meteors; 972 conformable. 
“The maximum deduced from this Table was from two to three o’clock on 
the morning of the 11th of August.” (Prof. H. A. Newton, in Silliman’s 
Journal, 2nd ser. vol. xliv. p. 427.) 
Radiant-region of the shower.—The area of radiation of the August me- 
teors, as shown by Prof. Twining, appears to undergo changes of its position 
on successive days ; and the same may perhaps also occur in successive years. 
According to the observations of Mr. R. P. Greg in 1866 and 1867, con- 
firmed by those of Mr. W. H. Wood, the radiant-region in those years ap- 
peared to be elongated, or to advance during the shower from near e Cassio- 
peie to near @ Persei, the meteors from the former radiant-point appearing 
to Mr. Greg to be swifter than the rest. A gradual passage from the radiant 
N,, at the foot of Cassiopeia’s chair, commencing in July, to that for the 10th 
of August in Perseus, A,,, is possibly an explanation of the peculiar feature, 
that meteors from the direction of Cassiopeia are visible as early as the 16th 
and 17th of July, moving very swiftly, and leaving very persistent streaks. 
At Winchendon, Mass., U.S.A., Mr. F. W. Russell reports that on the 7th 
of August, 1867, between 9" 45" and 10" 45™ p.m. there were observed 
“eight meteors, all from a radiant near e and 6 Cassiopeie.” The radiant 
gradually passed down into Perseus ; and on the 11th it was at R. A. 47° 45’, 
N. P. D. 31°; while on the 12th it was at R. A. 50°, N. P. D. 33°, “ having 
moved towards p Persei, and a little towards a also. Moreover the area 
seemed elliptical, the major axis being in declination, and with a ratio to the 
minor axis of 5:2.” (Ibid.) 
2. The November Meteoric Shower in 1867. 
The ‘ Zeitschrift der dsterreichischen Gesellschaft fiir Meteorologie,’ vol. iii. 
No. 3, contains the following announcement of the appearance of the Novem- 
ber meteoric shower of 1867 in Europe :—‘ Some interesting observations on 
this subject appear in Heis’s ‘ Wochenschrift fiir Astronomie.’ At Vegesack* 
Dr. C. Behrmann kept watch himself, almost in vain, throughout the whole 
night until 7" a.m. ; the bright moonlight, and a thick fog which rose up late 
in the night, prevented him from observing more than a few shooting-stars, 
which came from the constellation Leo. A friend, however, of Dr. Behrmann, 
whose attention had been directed to the expected return of the phenomenon, 
saw the sky at 8" a.m., on the morning of the 14th, quite overspread with 
meteors, whose appearance in the increasing twilight and in the thick fog was 
* N. lat. 53° 11', E. long. 8° 40’; near Bremen, on the Weser, in Hanoyer. 
