PARABOLIC ORBITS OF METEOR STREAMS 475 



• average I would put about 4.5 magn., with few brighter than 3, and the 



duration scarcely ever exceeding a half second Many seen 



next evening, but not nearly so many as on 11th." 



(2) By A. P. C. Craig; written 1912, Dec. 21. Of Perseid shower, 

 1910, August 13, from notes. While camping out, lying on ground, "I 

 awoke about 2 a.m. and during the time I watched which was about 1 



hour, 200 to 300 meteors must have fallen average the 2 magn. 



Probably more fainter ones fell, but I did not notice very many as I was 

 intent on brighter ones. It was the richest shower I have ever seen." 



(3) By Latimer J. Wilson. Effect of passage of large meteor on seeing, 

 from original observations. " . . . On 1911, May 17, during an obser- 

 vation of Jupiter, a meteor, fully as bright as Jupiter, passed 35' above J., 

 moving E to W, and the train quickly disappeared. May 17, at lOh 

 40m C.S.T., was one night when seeing was perfect, and as soon as I looked 

 through the telescope after the passage of the meteor, the air was in such 

 violent motion that only the coarsest features of Jupiter could be seen. 

 The air vibrations were at first very rapid, less so as the seeing improved, 

 until finally after a few ripples the seeing became normal. The duration of 

 the disturbance was between 4 and 5 minutes. Color of meteor that of 

 Jupiter, path 30° ± long." 



In conclusion it may be added that many interesting descriptions of 

 peculiar and exceptional meteors, sent in by the different observers, have 

 been omitted, as the length of this paper is limited. Also no attempt has 

 been made to draw general conclusions, for 2800 meteors are rather too 

 few on which to base them. 



However, with steady growth in our membership, it should not be a 

 great while before many thousand observations have been sent in from which 

 general conclusions can be safely drawn. 

 Leander McCormick Observatory, 

 University of Virginia. 

 July 13, 1914. 



