A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 81 



lusca, Crustacea, &c, ordinarily of rare occurrence, having been thrown up in 

 abundance living on the beach, betokening a serious disturbance of the 

 banks in the neighbouring seas. The following may be enumerated: — 

 Cochlodesma pratenue, Fissurella reticulata, Emarginula reticulata, Mactra 

 elliptica, Tapes virginea, var. Sarniensis (very abundant), Thracia villosius- 

 cula, Thracia phaseolina, Thracia convexa (a single valve). 



Inachus Dorsettensis, Pilumnus hirtellus (chiefly broken), Portunus holsa- 

 tus, Portumnus variegatus, Corystes Cassivelaunus, Nephrops Norvegicus (all 

 broken, but in great profusion), Cribella oculata, Asterias aurantiaca, Spa- 

 tangus purpureas, Thyone papillosa, Priapulus caudatus, &c. 



The results of these investigations have been all noted, but unfortunately 

 an inflammatory attack of the eyes, of some months' duration, put a stop, 

 on the author's part, to the completion of the labours which had been com- 

 menced. 



Dr. E. Perceval Wright in the month of June undertook the particular 

 examination of the district in the neighbourhood of Ireland's Eye ; the results 

 of his investigation, which are not yet completed, he hopes to include in the 

 next year's Report. 



From the materials now at their disposal, your Committee hope next year 

 to be able to present a more systematic Report, as the results obtained, 

 though important, are not sufficiently numerous to enable them to do so yet; 

 they have therefore to request that the same Committee, Professor Kinahan, 

 Dr. Carte, Dr. Perceval Wright, and Professor Greene, may be reappointed, 

 and that a further sum of .£15 may be allocated for this purpose. 



Report on Observations of Luminous Meteors, 1858-59. By the Rev. 

 Baden Yoy?ei,i.,M.A.,F.R.S.,F.R.A.S.,F.G.S., Savilian Professor 

 of Geometry in the University of Oxford. 



In submitting the present continuation of my series of reports on luminous 

 meteors I have little to say beyond what the results themselves indicate. I 

 am indebted to the same friends as on former occasions for some valuable 

 communications. Among these I may just refer to the observations of 

 Mr. Lowe as including a notice of the periodical meteors of August the 10th 

 of the present year, up to the amount of 70 per hour, and all diverging from 

 a point in Perseus. In many parts of England the evening was cloudy. But 

 at the observatory of Lord Wrottesley these meteors were well seen by Mr. 

 F. Morton, who has communicated some interesting particulars respecting 

 them, which are given in the sequel. 



The November meteors of 1858 were observed by the Abbe Leconte, at 

 Hainault. It is to be regretted that no observations have been communicated 

 of a nature to verify the theory of Sir J. Lubbock, and it is still more remark- 

 able, that since the first announcement of Mr. Pettit of the distinct establish- 

 ment of the existence of one, if not two, minute satellites to our earth, no 

 further observations either of these or of any others, many of which may be 

 presumed to exist, have been published. A valuable paper has appeared in 

 the ' Philosophical Magazine,' June 1859, 'On the Periods and Colours of 

 Luminous Meteors,' by Dr. J. H. Gladstone, in which the author brings to- 

 gether a number of important results and remarks, mainly founded on the 

 observations of M. Poey, as well as upon the data furnished by the Cata- 

 logues of the British Association. In the Appendix I subjoin a brief analysis 

 of the leading contents of this valuable investigation. 



1859. o 



