330 repoet — 1878. 



two only conformed to the radiant-point of the Andromedes. Thus, so 

 far as my brief observations allowed me to determine, the shower was 

 more actively in progress on November 25th than on the 27th, in the 

 proportion of about three to one. 



"On the evening of the 29th a watch was maintained for three hours, and 

 twenty-seven meteors were seen, of which none were from Andromeda. There 

 was, however, an active display of swift white meteors with streaks from 

 a radiant point at k Cephei, at 185° + 71°. On December 1st and 2nd 

 observations extended over four hours (twenty-eight meteors), but no more 

 Andromedes were observed. So far as I can judge the shower was at its 

 best on November 25th. Cloudy weather prevented work on November 

 26th." 



In a watch of little more than 20 m (at 7 h 24 m and at 7 h 42 m p.m.) on 

 the evening of November 25th, Mr. Backhouse registered two shooting- 

 stars at Sunderland, both apparently Andromedes. On the night of 

 November 27th, in a watch of 50 m , equivalent to about three-quarters 

 of an hour in a cloudless sky (about one- tenth part of the sky being on an 

 average overcast, and slight moonlight prevailing towards the close),ending 

 at ll h 30 m , Mr. Backhouse observed eight meteors, corresponding to an 

 horary rate of frequency of about eleven. Twelve shooting-stars were 

 registered before midnight. Of these six (one rather doubtful from its 

 swiftness) were Andromedes, with short courses, not far from the radiant- 

 point, which was sharply marked (by all but one of their paths) at 28° 

 + 46°. Only two were as bright as second or third magnitude stars, of 

 yellow colour ; their motion was slow, and the nucleus of the brightest 

 had a short tapering tail. 



From these descriptions it appears that on both the nights of Novem- 

 ber 25th and 27th, 1877, the horary frequency of the Andromedes was 

 occasionally as great as that of the contemporaneously occurring sporadic 

 or unsystematic shooting-stars, and that their radiation on each of those 

 nights was sufficiently exact to denote a distinct although a very feeble 

 reappearance of the Bielan shower. 



The Oeminids of December 10th — 11th, 1877. — A good view of this 

 annual shower's appearance on the nights of its greatest intensity was 

 obtained by Mr. Greg, who watched the progressive increase of its bright- 

 ness from November 27th. The meteors increased in numbers and in 

 accuracy of radiation until the display reached its maximum on the night 

 of December 11th, when at one time they certainly succeeded each other, 

 for one observer, at the rate of one a minute ; and their average horary rate 

 for one observer on that evening was about thirty-five. Their apparent paths, 

 even at a distance from the radiant-point were extremely short (not more 

 than 5°), and but little marked with streaks, rendering it difficult to fix 

 their radiant-point exactly. This centre of nearly thirty tracks, mapped 

 on the 9th and 11th, in a somewhat restricted region of the sky near Ursa 

 Major, was at 104° + 38°, four or five degrees north of the line joining 

 a, d Geminorum, and in rather higher declination than has hitherto been 

 usually observed, confirming the supposition which Mr. Greg has been 

 led to entertain from former observations of this shower, of an elongation 

 of its radiant-point in declination between about + 30° and + 40° N. 

 decl. The meteors did not vary much in colour or in brightness, presenting 

 in general the appearance of first or second magnitude stars, bright white, 

 and moving with considerable velocity. Although Mr. Greg's attention 

 was specially directed to determining the positions of any co-existing 



