OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 103 



second in duration. Their tracks projected upon a map, altliougli proceeding, 

 as in the foregoing observations, from a general radiant-region near and 

 around the star Bootis, presented within that space no well-marked centre 

 of divergence. 



On the same night, and during the morning of January 3rd, as appears 

 from the following observations at York and Sunderland, the shower con- 

 tinued to be very bright, with occasional luUs and apparently outbreaks of 

 its intensity, imtil near the approach of daylight. At Sunderland Mr. 

 Backhouse reported that " though the night of the 2nd was for the most part 

 very fine, yet at the appointed time the sky was so cloudy that I only 

 watched for a short time, especially as meteors were so scarce. I only saw 

 one at that time ; but in the morning I watched for at least twelve minutes 

 in a cloudless but moonlit sky, the radiant-point in Draco being high in the 

 sky, yet I saw no meteor belonging to that sj'stem, and only one altogether. 

 The evening of the 3rd was fine till about 10'' p.m., when it clouded over. 

 I did not see a single meteor, though I watched for about ten minutes at 

 6"' 30", and equally long about 9" 15"." 



Another considerable outburst of the shower must, however, have occurred 

 shortly before daybreak on the morning of the 3rd, as the brilliancy and rapid 

 succession of the meteors at that time at Street, Somersetsliire, attracted a 

 child's attention, who, as related by Mr. Clark, informed him of some of the 

 particulars of their appearance. " The nights, both of the 2nd and 3rd, were 

 so unfavourable as to prevent me from sending you any observations. On 

 the morning of the 3rd, however, I had an account from my nephew, who 

 though but eight years old is intelligent enough to take a good deal of 

 interest in simple scientific things, of several meteors which he had seen, 

 coming rapidly after one another, and evidently somewhat bright." 



On the following evening, and night of the 3rd to the 4th of Januarj"-, the 

 sky was so completely overcast at all the British- Association stations that 

 no shooting-stars could be observed ; but on that evening a single meteor, as 

 brilliant as Jupiter (as described in the above list), was observed at Green- 

 wich, the direction of whose apparent course was almost exactly directed 

 from the radiant-point K3 in Quadrans (Bode, or in the region of Draco 

 between Hercules and Bootes), which distinguishes the annually recurring 

 meteor-shower of the lst-3rd of January. 



Meteoric showers of April, 1S72. — Some observations of the April star- 

 shower in 1871, not included in last year's Report, were obtained by Mr. 

 Clark, at York, with a clear view of the sky, from shortly before ten 

 o'clock until midnight on the night of the 19th of April in that year. Six 

 rather bright meteors, with very short courses of only a few degrees in 

 length near the constellation Ursa Major, were mapped, belonging apparently 

 to the meteoric system or group of radiant-points M^ in that constellation. 

 One meteor from the direction of Lyra was also seen before eleven o'clock, and 

 six between eleven o'clock and midnight, the .sky being equally clear, — the 

 numbers of meteors of all kinds seen in the former hour being six, and in the 

 latter nine. The sky was overcast on the other nights of the shower. 



The radiant-point M^ of Heis's and Greg's former list* was marked in 



* Eeport for 1^+, p. 00. Radiant at R. A. IGO", N. Decl. .51°, enduring from April 

 16th-.30lli, apparently identical witli M^ of Heis's list for April, at R, A. 1 5;i°, N. Deel. 47°, 

 near X Ursa- Majoris : now subdivided by Mr. Greg into separate radiant-points, MZ 

 and MGZ, near Urs.a' Majoris and Cor Caroli, in March and April ; M.Z near y Leonis 

 on tlip I0tb-2(lfh of Ajjril ; and MG, in the Lynx, near the fore feet of Trsa Major, from 

 the end of April to the beginning of June. (See the Table at the end of this Eeport.) 



