Notices of Memoirs—Ealing Scientific Society. 519 
II.—Tue Eatine Screntirrc anp Microscoprcan Socrety. 
The 39th Annual Report, issued October, 1916 (8vo, pp. xiv + 14), 
contains, in addition to the affairs of the Society, etc., abstracts of 
lectures given in the past year, viz.: (1) ‘‘ Coloration in Mollusca,’’ by 
B. B. Woodward, F.L.S., F.G.S., F.R.M.S.; (2) “‘ Meteorites and Shooting 
Stars,’? by Spencer L. Fletcher, F.R.A.S. (see below); (3) ‘‘ Colour 
Photography,’’ by Cyril M. Neaves; (4) High Explosives,’’ by George 
Senter, D.Sc., Ph.D., F.1.C.; (5) ‘‘Are the Planets Inhabited?’’ by 
H. Walter Maunder, F'.R.A.S. 
Merzorites AnD SHoorrne Srars. By Spencer L. Fretcuer, F.R.A.S. 
(J\HE ancients have left reports of stones falling from heaven which 
were treated as being of supernatural origin, until scientific 
investigation of phenomena began. Until 150 years ago the scientist 
either doubted the actuality of such falls of stones, or explained them 
as caused by stones projected by terrestrial forces (such as whirlwinds 
or volcanic eruptions) or manufactured in the clouds from particles of 
dust. If a stone was found heated or partly melted the theory was 
that it had been struck by lightning. Such ideas were negatived by 
well-attested falls of meteorites, from that at Dijon in 1761, which 
could not be reconciled with such origins. 
Mr. Fletcher showed a number of views of meteorites, photographed 
from actual meteorites in the Natural History Museum. He explained 
that they are divided into aerolites, which are of stone; siderolites, 
which are partly stone and partly metal; and siderites, which are 
wholly metal (usually iron mixed with nickel). In many cases their 
fall is accompanied by a flash of light and loud explosions. A single 
stone may be found or there may be a shower of stones (from bursting), 
as at Poltusk in 1868. A notable case was the great meteorite 
which in 1719 was visible from Aberdeen to Paris, and, passing over 
the length of England, appears to have fallen into the sea. In that 
instance, besides the bright light and explosions, the tremor of the 
air was noted by Halley. Another great siderolite fell at Estherville, 
Towa, in 1879, from a clear sky (showing that it had no connexion 
with clouds), and, bursting, scattered fragments over two miles, one 
weighing 431 pounds. The conclusion is that these lumps of stone 
and metal travel in outer space with great velocity, and burn away, 
wholly or partially, by friction, after entering our atmosphere. 
They do not become visible until they reach our atmosphere, and 
have been observed at heights of 70 miles or less. It has been 
assumed that, at an earlier period of the earth’s history, it possessed 
much larger volcanoes than any now existing, which threw up stones 
with such force as to conquer gravitation, so that the stones, instead 
of falling back to the earth, remained travelling in orbits around the 
sun, re-crossing our own orbit at every revolution. To conquer 
the earth’s gravitation it would be necessary for the fragments to be 
projected with a velocity of at least seven miles per second. No 
volcano of the present day possesses sufficient power to do this, 
and there is no trace of the greater voleanoes which the theory 
supposes. This does not of itself, however, disprove the theory, as, 
since the earth’s primeval crust was produced, sedimentary strata 
amounting to many miles in thickness have been formed, and no 
