of the I4lh of November, 1866. 85 



10 minutes. This curve is drawn from the observations of Mr. 

 Glaisher's observers at Greenwich. 



In the third and fourth curves the numbers were counted 

 during periods of 5 minutes each. The third one is from the ob- 

 servations of Mr. G. J. Symons in London, which were counted 

 every quarter of an hour; the fourth from those of Mr. C. G. 

 Talmage in Essex, by whom the numbers were counted every 

 successive five minutes, from 12 h 52 m to 2 h 7 m . This last curve 

 shows most minutely the changes at the time of the maximum 

 display. 



On looking at these curves, the first thing that strikes us is 

 the suddenness of the rise and fall in the numbers. Thus be- 

 tween 12 h 45 m and 12 h 50 ra eighty- seven were visible, and 

 between l h m and l h 5 m , that is in the same length of time, 

 and but one quarter of an hour later, the number seen was 264. 



The next thing to strike us is the similarity in the curves on 

 each side of the maximum ordinate. 



Next, as to the direction of the flights of the meteors. 

 Every one noticed that they all came from an easterly direction. 

 The point was accurately fixed from careful observations, and 

 was found to lie a little south by east from 7 Leonis. Mr. J. 

 P. H. Boileau, however, writing from Malta, states that the 

 radiant-point lay at nearly equal distances from Regulus in 

 Leo, Alpharet in Hydra, and Procyon in Canis Major ; which 

 is in a point considerably to the south-east of that mentioned 

 above. 



The colours of the heads or nuclei of the meteors were gene- 

 rally stated to be red or orange-coloured. The Rev. Robert 

 Main describes them as being "in general whitish or yel- 

 lowish, while some were red or orange-coloured, and one was 

 bluish." 



The greatest difference of opinion exists as to the colours of 

 the trains of the meteors. Some say that they were blue; 

 others bluish white or pale bluish ; others greenish or greenish 

 white; while in Malta they are reported to have been white, 

 sometimes tinted with red and blue. 



As to the time of duration of the trains, most observers agree 

 in assigning two or three seconds as the usual time. An ob- 

 server in Penzance, however, states, as a remarkable fact, that one 

 meteor left a train which was visible for several seconds. 



Short as this time appears, it was yet sufficient for two ob- 

 servers to use spectroscopes ; but they did not succeed in ob- 

 taining any results either with regard to the meteors or their 

 trains. They did not even find the sodium line noticed by Mr. 

 Alexander Herschel in some of the August meteors. 



Of the observations of particular meteors, those described by 



