406 REPORT—1868, | 
well corroborated by two radiant-points in Prof. Heis’s list, Y, and 3,, being 
almost intermediate in position, and a little earlier in date of its appearance, 
with respect to each of them. It may, accordingly, be regarded as the com- 
meucement of either of those showers, or even as the starting-point of a 
whole series of showers Y, 3, T, U which have their centres of divergence, 
in autumn, in the vicinity of the equator. The new radiant-points X,, , 
(the latter in the constellation Cetus), in October and November, are also not 
impossibly allied appearances, and the latter, perhaps, a continuation of the 
last radiant of the group U, near 6 Ceti. 
Among the radiant-points in the new list which (like that of the November 
meteors in the northern hemisphere) lie closest to the tangential apex of the 
earth’s way, two especially may be noticed in the southern hemisphere, viz. 
Position of tangential 
point. 
= = sh é= 
A,, April, in Telescopium ......... 280° —38° 296° —21° } For the middle of 
A,, December, in Antlia Pneum.... 148 —34 175 +2 the month. 
The central positions of the radiant groups in the southern hemisphere 
for the different months shows a total number of 15 separate groups; and of 
the meteors mapped about 627 appear to be sensibly conformable to them. 
The following is a brief classification of the list :— 
Designa-| Gantral Number of 
No.| tion of siti re Constellation. Months. meteors 
group. 5 Lah pe mapped. 
a= b= 
le ie 115 —34 | Argo Navis ...| Dec., Jan., Feb., March, April 100 
2: A 162 —40 | Antlia Pneum. | Dec., Jan., Feb., March ...... 73 
3. H 206 —37 | Centaurus ...... March, April, May ............ 83 
4. A 266 —41 | Telescopium ...} April, May, June, July, Aug. 61 
5. cH 305 — 1 | Aquila ......... dupe, PULy ee cosas tecas hese 27 
6. 6) 264 —17 | Ophiuchus.....| June, July ............20cs.seeeees 26 
ae II 354 —46 | Phenix ......... GULLY.) Esccseneesssocys0-cemeemeeee 30 
8. 5) 50 —85 | Octans ......... ORM) Poetics evses* -oepeeteree esse 13 
uh = 342 — 8 | Aquarius ...... August, September, October 43 
10. AG 315 —40 | Microscopium | August, September, October 59 
11. ® 340 —30 | Piscis Austr. ...| September ..................5..... 14 
12. x 16"—35"| Cétusl:..cue-0-..: October, November ............ 24 
13. Vv 50 — 4 | Eridanus ...... groban feiss Ave: 5 oe erreete ee 13 
14. Q 86. —35 | Columba. ”....... November, December ......... 33 
15. Ss 188 +13 | Virgo)............ February, March, April, May 28 
Total 627 
Of these groups the greater number are either near the equator or else near 
the parallel of the declination of the zenith at Melbourne, about 38° 8, decli- 
nation. Only one radiant-point, viz. P, in July, is found in the vicinity of 
the South Pole of the heavens ; while, on the contrary, in the northern he- 
misphere a large proportion of the radiant-points visible throughout the year 
are either situated very near to the North Pole of the heavens, or are cireum- 
polar. Were a series of meteor-observations in the southern hemisphere 
to be continued over as great a number of years as that which has been 
carried out in the northern hemisphere, it is probable that the number of 
radiant-points discovered would not only be increased, but also be found 
distributed more uniformly over the sky than those which have now been 
assigned to it, and whose positions are indicated in the present list. 
