162 Dr. Walter Flight — History of Meteorites. 



and austral auroras, the relation between the aurora? and the meteor 

 showers, the perturbations of the telegraph lines, which not only 

 accompany, but forecast an auroral display ; and the identity of the 

 light, principally that of the green portion of the spectrum, in 

 zodiacal and auroral light, as established by Eespighi. 1 



In connexion with this subject, reference should be made to the 

 discovery by Eeichenbach some years since of the presence of nickel 

 in soils. From the Lahisberg in Austria, a conical hill some 300 to 

 400 metres in height, and covered to the summit with beech-trees, 

 he took samples of soil from the thick underwood, and found 

 therein traces of nickel and cobalt. Other specimens from the 

 Haindelberg, Kallenberg, and Dreymarcksteinberg, adjacent hills, 

 yielded the same results, and that from the Marchfeld plain also 

 revealed traces of nickel. These hills consist of beds of sandstone 

 and chalk, and are quite free from metallic veins. It has already been 

 suggested that impoverished soils may have their fertilizing powers re- 

 newed by the precipitation of cosmical matter containing phosphorus. 



1871. February 4th. 220 p.m. Konisha, Minnesota. 2 



The meteor appeared to come from N. of E. When it reached a 

 point 4° N. of W. of Konisha (Lat. 45° 10' ; Long. 94° 10'), and was 

 at an elevation of 38°, it exploded with a detonation like the com- 

 bined roar of a park of artillery. The concussion was so great that 

 it shook the houses. From four different points on a base-line 

 of 42 miles observers were not able to mark any divergence from the 

 general direction of N. 86° W. The distance from Konisha must 

 have been considerable at which the explosion of the meteor took 

 place. No meteorites have yet been found. 



1871. May 21st. 815 a.m. Searsmont, Maine. 3 



The explosion attending this fall resembled the report of a heavy 

 gun, followed by a rushing sound like the escape of steam from a 

 boiler. It probably came from the south, as the report was heard at 

 Warren, 12 miles to the S.W., but not at Searsmont, 3 miles to the 

 N.E. About two minutes after the explosion a woman saw the 

 earth thrown up at a spot about 30 rods distant from her. The 

 meteorite entered the hard soil to a depth of two feet, making a 

 vertical hole, and striking some large pebbles which shattered the 

 stone. It weighed altogether 121bs., the largest fragment being 21bs. 

 When dug out, 25 minutes after the fall, it was still hot. The 

 form of the complete stone is described as of an oval subcorneal 

 figure, with a flat base, and resembles the Durala meteorite 

 (1815, February 18th) preserved in the British Museum. The crust 

 of the base is perfectly black, and more perfectly fused than that of 

 the sides ; it is moreover of unusual thickness, amounting to about 



1 Respighi. Compt. rend., lxxiv. 514. — The green ray is that known as 1241 in 

 Kirchhoff 's scale ; and near it is another of less brilliancy, 1826 in the same scale. 



2 Amer. Jour. Sc, 1371. i. 308. 



3 C. U. Shepard. Amer. Jour. Sc. [3], ii. 133. — J. L. Smith. Amer. Jour. Sc. 

 [3], ii. 200. 



