82 Mr. G. Forbes on the Meteoric Shower 



published by other observers within the last month, and finally 

 make a few remarks on the conclusions to be derived from all 

 these observations. 



As there was some doubt whether the November shower, if it 

 should take place at all, would do so on the morning of the 13th 

 or 14th, I looked out for a few minutes at about 12 o'clock on 

 the night common to the 12th and 13th, but not seeing any 

 meteors I did not watch any more. 



On the evening of the 13th I kept a constant look-out from 

 my window, and saw several fall between ll h and ll h 45 m . At 

 ll h 45 m they began to be more numerous, and 1 then went 

 outside, where there was a good point of view from which the 

 whole heavens could be very well seen. I stood looking 

 eastwards in the direction of the constellation Leo, and began 

 to count at 12 o'clock. This was done by pricking holes m 

 rows on a card, which were afterwards counted at leisure. 

 I stopped counting at 1 o'clock, by which time I had marked 

 down 883 meteors, which is on an average about fifteen per 

 minute. The greater number of these fell in the last 20 mi- 

 nutes ; and at about 1 o'clock I could not mark them all ; for 

 they were then falling at the rate of five or six in the second, 

 sometimes even faster. The maximum seemed to take place at 

 about l h 15 m . 



On the following night I looked out for about three-quarters 

 of an hour, beginning at l h 30 m , but did not see any me- 

 teors. 



At the first glance it was obvious that the meteors were 

 coming all from one direction, in the east ; and on attentive 

 observation the point from which they all appeared to radiate 

 could be seen to lie within the sickle in Leo. During the 

 whole night I only saw three or four going in the opposite di- 

 rection, or any that did not seem to be directed to the general 

 radiant-point. 



The appearances presented by these bodies will now occupy 

 our attention. Each meteor had a distinctly defined head or 

 nucleus, whose course was marked by a train left by it. The 

 nucleus was generally red or orange-coloured. It appeared 

 suddenly, and as suddenly disappeared. The prevailing colour 

 of the trains was greenish white, those nearest the horizon 

 being usually most coloured. The colour of the train seemed 

 in general to be complementary to that of the nucleus. The 

 train consisted of a bright line, formed with enormous rapidity 

 when near the zenith. The line was not uniform in breadth, 

 but was broadest in the middle and pointed at the ends. The 

 widening in the middle seemed to be caused by a falling down- 

 wards of the matter composing the train. After lasting usually 



