302 REPORT— 1881. 



active showers. The meteorites of Segowlee, March 6, 1853, and Sagan 

 (Silesia), March 6, 1636, may perhaps belong, with the Middlesbrough 

 and other meteorites named above, to the same aerolitic systems, and the 

 directions of the courses of fireballs and shooting stars of the week from 

 March 8 to 14, and of meteorites should they again happen in that week, 

 will accordingly furnish very interesting materials for observation. 



Note on a Preliminary Examination of the Middlesbrough Aerolite. By Mr, 

 T. Davies, F.G.S. Communicated to the Committee, Aug. 30, 1881. 



' I find that this aerolite bears a marked resemblance to the Kule- 

 schowka stone in the fine grained ash-grey base with a similar distribution 

 of the iron and the small rust-spots, which, however, are larger and more 

 frequent in the former. The spherules are also larger and more abundant. 

 Though belonging to the chondritic type of aerolites, I do not consider it 

 as markedly chondi'itic, many of the spherules not showing such a distinct 

 periphery in their section as wo aid allow of the stone being classed among 

 the more prominent instances of this group. 



'With regard to its resemblance to the Kuleschowka aerolite, I find 

 that it is equally similar (macroscopically) to other aerolites of the same 

 type which bear very different dates of their descent ; notably those of 

 Milena, Croatia, April 26, 1842, Tourinnes la Grosse, Dec. 7, 1863, and 

 Girgenti, Sicily, Feb. 10, 1853 ; so that I fear that no theory founded on 

 coincidence of date would be of much value [either as safe guidance in 

 searches for the evidence of a mineralogical resemblance, or as satis- 

 factorily confirming any such a resemblance]. 



' From microscopic examination I should regard the stone as consist- 

 ing very largely of enstatite, which exists not only in lai'ge isolated 

 crystals but also in groups of crystals, the olivine constituent (if any) 

 being represented by the finely crystalline ground-mass ; but this is not 

 sufficiently distinct in the section to be determined by microscopic ex- 

 amination only. 



' The " dendrites " of the spherules and enstatite crystals, are a mere 

 structural simulation of oi'ganisms, and are not due to manganese oxides, 

 which, if present, would be in sufficient quantity to be easily identified 

 chemically. All workers with the microscope are familiar with these 

 simulations.' 



