678 RECORDS. 



etc., of that age, and for confirmation of synchronism of Jurassic 

 Hfe between the continents. As to the heavy oils of Wyoming, 

 they contain but Httle paraffin and perhaps less than twenty per 

 cent, of kerosene, and are likely to be worthless, except possibly 

 hereafter for use as a coarse fuel. 



Alexis A. Julien, 



Secretary. 



SECTION OF ASTRONOMY AND PHYSICS. 

 November, 6, 1899. 



Section met at 8:15 P. M., Professor M. I. Pupin, presiding. 

 The minutes of the last meeting of Section were not read. The 

 name of one candidate for resident membership was read and 

 referred to the Council according to the By-Laws. 



The following program was then offered : 



J. K. Rees, November Meteor Showers (Illustrated). 



Summary of Paper. 



Among other things the speaker said that one of the theories 

 of the origin of some meteors was that they were at some time 

 ejected from the sun or moon, earth, or other planets, by vol- 

 canic explosions, and if from the earth, they traveled in an orbit 

 that intersected that of the earth. The later theories which 

 identify the meteor streams with comets or the remains of comets, 

 seem most satisfactory^'. Those meteors which reach the earth 

 have a large percentage of nickel in their composition, and show 

 when they are polished a peculiar and characteristic ciystalline 

 structure. A great many of these meteors reach the earth on 

 an average each day, as many as ten million or more, it has 

 been estimated. Interplanetaiy space is full of them. During 

 the meteor showers, this number is greatly increased. At one 

 place on the earth as many as 240,000 were estimated to have 

 been visible during the eight hours progress of the shower of 



1833- 



Historical records seem to show that showers of meteors have 

 been seen at intervals of thirty-three years in the fall of the year 



