188 



REPORT 1877. 



Table of Meteor-radiants deduced by Mr. Denning from 130 unreduced 

 Meteor-tracks, Jan. 21-Feb. 23, 1869, and February, 1870, in Captain 

 Tupman's Catalogue of shooting-stars observed in the Mediterranean. 



Previously known radiant-points 

 confirmed. 



Tupman, 16, 21 ; Greg, 27. 



T. 6 ; G. 8, 20. 



(Jan. 21-Feb. 23), T. 10, 19, 17 (G. 18, 



too far north ?) 

 (Feb. 16-23) ; a new shower. 

 T. 11, 17 ; G. 44 (March 11-19); new 



for February. 

 T. 15 (Feb. 13). 

 T. 2 ; G. 5. 

 T. 11, 13. 



T. 17, at 217°, -41° (suspected). 

 T. 5 ; G. 28. 



V G. 18 ; probably one shower. 



A new shower. 

 G. 8. 

 G. 12. 



The Serpentids, no. 3, are a very fine shower of swift, white meteors, often 

 leaving streaks, with a very exactly centred radiant ; confirmed by Mr. Den- 

 ning, February 1877, at 236°, + 11° (10 meteors). Nos. 1, 2, 7, and 10 were 

 also confirmed by Mr. Denning in February 1877. No. 4 seems new ; and 

 also no. 9, though the latter was suspected by Tupman from a stationary 

 meteor at 217°, -41°, seen at 3 U 41 m a.m. on February 23rd, 1869. 



Appendix IV. — On Aerolites and Detonating Meteors. 

 By Walter Flight. 



The Meteoric Irons of the Mexican Desert*. 



Dr. Lawrence Smith takes stock afresh of our knowledge of the masses of 

 meteoric iron of that region of Mexico called the Bohon de Mapini, or the 

 Mexican Desert situated in Cohahuila and Chihuahua, two of the northern 

 provinces of the Mexican Republic. In 1854 he described three masses, two of 

 which (one weighing 630 kilogrammes and the other 125 kilog.) were subse- 

 quently conveyed to the United States ; in 1868 eight other masses, the largest 

 of which weighed 325 kilog., were conveyed to the United States ; and later 

 still, in 1871, |Dr. Smith published a description of a still larger block, estimated 

 to weigh 3500 kilog., now lying in the western boundary of the Desert near El 

 Para. There is, moreover, some account of a mass yet vaster to be seen in the 

 very centre of the desolate region. In this district alone not less than 15,000 

 kilogrammes in weight of meteoritic masses have been discovered. 



While examining sections of two of the above-mentioned masses, Dr. Smith 

 noticed a number of nodular concretions imbedded in the metal, having at 



* J, L. Smith, ' Arner. Journ. Sc' 1876, sii. 107- 



