394 REPORT — 1873. 



observers is not stated it was probably four, the number who watched the 

 appearance of the following star-shower on the 27th of the same month, and 

 who counted during the whole of that single night 44,644 shooting stars ! 

 (Communicated by Gr. V. Schiaparelli and Padre F. Denza). 



Total numbers of shooting stars seen at Matcra, Italy, on the morning of 

 K^ovember 14th, 1872, in the half-hours ending at — 



12" 30™ A.M. 1^ l''30°' 2" 2'»30°' S'' 3"^ 30'" 4h 4h 30"" 5^ S'' 30" C" Total. 

 Nos. of ] 



meteors I 7 10 9 13 17 25 41 79 122 149 109 57 688 

 seen J 



Star-sliowers of December 12<7i, 1872, and January 2nd, 1873. — From the 

 effect of bright moonlight and of a cloudy sky, no observations of the 

 December meteors in 1872 could be obtained. The sky was equally overcast 

 on the night of January 1st, 1873 ; but accounts in the newspapers (' Daily 

 Telegraph ') of the 3rd mentioned the occarrence of several bright meteors on 

 the morning of the 2nd of January between l"" and 2*" a.m. at Wrexham. On 

 the night of December 31st, Mr. Denning traced the paths of twelve meteors 

 in 3 hours on a map, without perceiving a distinct radiant-point, the principal 

 centres of divergence being apparently near 3 Leonis, a Geminorum, and in 

 Ursa Major. The sky was clear, and the light of an aurora rather bright in 

 the north. 



On the night of January 2nd the sky was clear between storm-clouds at 

 Bristol, and Mr. Denning saw an intense flash of lightning (which was per- 

 haps meteoric) from the south, at Bristol. But shooting-stars at this place 

 and at other stations where the sky was clear were exceedingly scarce until 

 midnight, not more than two or three small ones appearing in an hour. The 

 largest number counted was six meteors per hour, by Mr. Wood at Birming- 

 ham, of which only one diverged from the usual radiant-point of the January 

 shower. The appearance of the star-shower at Wrexham on the morning of 

 January 2nd was, however, fully confirmed by Mr. Backhouse at Sunderland, 

 who in a watch kept between o*" and 7*" a.m. on that morning, recorded the 

 paths of 31 meteors, the rate of their appearance being 37 per hour for one 

 observer. The radiant-point, or rather the centre of a radiant area, which 

 seemed to be 7° or 8° in diameter, was at E.. A. 234°, N. Decl. 48°, within 

 3° of the position near c Quadrantis, where it was observed by Professor 

 Herschel on the 2nd of January, 1864 (' Report ' for 1 864, p. 98), and 

 agreeing well with the bright character of the display, and with the great 

 scarcity of meteors on each of the adjacent nights, in marking the shower as 

 a very well-defined reappearance of the January meteors of that periodic date. 



On the nights of the 25th and 27th of February, 1873, bright meteors 

 were seen by Mr. H. W. Jackson at Tooting, who drew attention to their 

 appearance as perhaps indicating special star- shower dates. On the latter 

 night several bright meteors were also noted by Mr. Denning at Bristol while 

 observing Jupiter throiigh a telescope, without paying particular attention to 

 record their numbers and directions. A bright flash like lightning appeared 

 behind a cloud in the south at 10" 30", the rest of the sky being clear ; and 

 a bright shooting-star observed at 7'' 30" was recorded simultaneously by 

 Mr. Denning and by Mr. Jackson at Tooting (see the foregoing Hst of double 

 observations). 



The April Star-shower in 1873.— On the nights of the 19th and 20th of 

 April, 1873, the sky was in general clear, with fog or clouds at some stations 



