342 REPORT—1874, 
of the April shower as it was visible at its return in 1874. In a watch of 
40 minutes, kept at about 2°4.m. on the morning of April 20th by Mr. Back- 
house in an interval of almost cloudless sky, only four meteors, three of 
which were Lyraids, were observed. During watches of nearly the same 
length, between 105 and 11" and between 11" and 12", on the evening of 
April 20th, eight meteors and four meteors were mapped, four meteors in 
each watch being Lyraids. A double watch of the same duration (1” 20™) 
on the night of the 21st only presented four meteor-tracks, of which two, as 
bright as Sirius, are erratic or very doubtful Lyraids. Mr. Wood’s description 
of the shower, as summed up from his observations in the following remarks, 
is very similar as to its duration and intensity. 
‘‘ Night of the 19th overcast ; 20th very fine. From 10" to 10" 30", no 
meteors; 10% 30™ till 11" 30", 10 meteors; 11” 30™ till 12", no meteors ; 
12" till 12°5™, 2meteors. 21st, fine night ; from 10" till 11" 15", no meteors, - 
A very bright but short return of this shower within well-defined limits. 
One half exceeded stars of the first magnitude, and were contributed by the 
different radiants in the proportion of one fourth from QH, (in Lyra), one 
sixth from Q,, and similarly from §, , and DG,, and the remaining fourth 
from SG, and WG. 
«The shower was of an intermittent character, with half-hour intervals of 
quiescence. The maximum was probably reached during the outburst from 
10" 30™ to 112 30™ p.m. on the 20th. The night following was marked by a 
total absence of meteors; the same feature presented itself at the brilliant 
return of 1863.” 
Mr. Clark’s general remarks on the appearance of the shower at Heidelberg, 
and Mr. Greg’s view of it in England, corroborate the aboye descriptions very 
closely. Mr. Clark writes :—‘ The weather during the week ending with the 
19th was specially unfavourable, but since then perfectly clear. The hills 
behind hid the moon after 10 o’clock on the 20th, and [from 10" 15™ until 
12" 30™] in all I saw twenty-five meteors, and mapped twenty-three. From 
10" 50" to 12" [Karlsruhe time, corresponding to about 10° 20™-11" 30™ 
G.M.T.] there was a great run of Lyraids; otherwise they were much out- 
numbered by those from other radiants. On the night of the 21st I only 
saw three meteors during a 40 minutes’ watch. ... From six apparent 
radiants meteors came as follows :—1 from 33 (of Greg’s general list, 1872, 
=MZ; Heis’s M,); 2from 43 (M, ,); 2 from 35 (DG,); 13 from 38 and 39 
(Cerberus and Lyra); 5 from near 40 (SG,); and 2 from 54 (S, , ,): total 
25 meteor-tracks. Very few from Lyraid region, save between 10" 50™ and 
12", On the 21st, 54 and 38, 39 seemed the chief radiants.” 
A rather larger proportion of Lyraids appears to have been observed by 
Mr. Greg, who also communicates from his mapped observations a very exact 
position of the radiant-point and the following general description of the 
shower :— 
“The night of the 20th was very favourable. I looked out from 11" 15™ 
—12"45™ and saw over twenty meteors, of which about fifteen were from Lyra, 
mostly very fine and remarkable ones, flashing and trained ; very rapid when 
overhead, moderate in speed when near the radiant. About four or five others 
from Cerberus were different, also trained, but slower and duller in colour; 
only one other meteor not from these two radiants! The radiant seems very 
close to a Lyre, perhaps 2° or 3° below it. On the evening of the 2ist I 
looked out from 11" to 12", and saw no Lyraids, except one doubtful one not 
by any means from a Lyre.” The plotted apparent paths of eleyen of the 
