OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEOKS. 155 



Special Catalogues and General Comparative Lists of Meteor-Showers. 



As the scattered lists of meteor radiaut-points, or general centres of diver- 

 gence of sliootiug-st.ars, on ordinary nights of the year are at x)reseut, from 

 the dispersed materials and limited accessibility of such catalogues, most unser- 

 viceable for the use of observers, the attempt which has during the past year 

 been made by Mr. Greg to present a carefully condensed and revised collection 

 of all such observations in a single comprehensive list will be recognized by 

 assiduous recorders of shooting-stars as affording them an invaluable fund of 

 useful information on the previously ascertained positions of all the best 

 known and best determined radiant-points of such probably distinct showers 

 or meteor-systems as they may meet with in their observations. With a 

 view to grouping new observations of the places and durations of shower-apices 

 under the best-established average dates and directions of the hitherto known 

 centres of divergence of ordinary shooting-stars, Mr. Greg compiled last year 

 a valuable condensed list of meteor-showers from all the published catalogues 

 and observations accessible to him, including all the older and all the most 

 recently recorded showers of the northern or southern hemispheres visible in 

 the latitude of Greenwich. A single chart illustrating the list was at 

 the same time drawn by Mr. Greg, and it was the intention of the Com- 

 mittee to have printed and issued this catalogue and map, together with 

 an introduction containing directions for their use, in the form of a separate 

 pamphlet during the past year to assist observers ; but the additional 

 matter sought to be included with it in the pamphlet being yet unfinished, 

 and the necessity felt by observers for a full and correct list of the known 

 average centres of radiation of ordinaiy shooting-stars being one of the 

 most urgent and important of the requirements which it has been the object 

 of the Committee during the past year to supply, the course which it has 

 appeared to them most desirable to adopt (the first stage of the projected 

 compilation having thus far been completed) is to present Mr. Greg's Cata- 

 logue and Map (which here follow) in this Report, as a useful companion 

 to observers for reference aud guidance in recording appearances of meteor- 

 showers. The reference-numbers of the list coincide with those of Mr. Greg's 

 earlier list (contained in the volume for 1874 of these Reports), with some 

 rearrangements and with considerable additions (from the last No., 187, of 

 the earlier list *) to embrace new showers. By consulting the earlier list, 

 references more or less complete wiU be found to all the original observations 

 of these meteor-showers ; and with the assistance of the key-map a ready 

 and convenient, and for tlie most part perfect, means is thus afforded of de- 

 termining the degree of importance or the possible distinctness of a newly 

 observed meteor radiant-point from any previously known observations of 

 meteor-showers resembling it which may already have been elsewhere 

 recorded. 



* III the uew entries some numbers temporarily assigned last year (these Eepoi-ts for 

 1875, p. 223) to new showers there for the first time poiutecl out are not uniformly 

 adliered to in the following list, which is condensed and extended tlu'oughout, directly 

 from the last similar complete comparative list of the year 1874. 



