458 The November Shooting Stars. 



For I presently perceived that their course was not invariably 

 downward. I could see some move perpendicularly upward, 

 some darting quite horizontally towards the left, some moving 

 upward in a sloping course, and. some also downward like those 

 seen from the bow window. These latter, sloping downward, 

 were those nearest to the north and to the south ; and, having 

 ascertained this, I soon observed that there was a point in the 

 heavens from which they actually started in all directions — I 

 do not mean at random, or crossing each other, but in an in- 

 variable course, like the railroads from a great city. The 

 meteors at that sjpot (close to the position of the star 7 in Leo) 

 were not of very frequent occurrence, but I observed all the 

 different directions described, probably in the course of ten 

 minutes, during one part of the morning ; and more than once 

 I saw with great interest two shooting stars at the same mo- 

 ment moving away from this point at right angles to each 

 other. Numerous meteors commenced at points quite distant 

 from 7 in Leo ; but wherever they commenced they seemed to 

 travel with regularity, as if from about that point. 



With respect to the size of the meteors in the east, I am 

 certain I saw none which were long or threadlike, anywhere 

 near 7; at one time, on the contrary, I saw strangely small 

 and even crooked ones near that spot.* They increased in 

 magnitude as observed towards the north or south. Several 

 fine ones passed above and across Orion, and always downward 

 from left to right. Their nuclei were, in my opinion, much 

 brighter than Sirius. Many meteors went as if over the house, 

 like sky-rockets ; and twice, meteors of extraordinary bright- 

 ness came, lighting up the whole landscape, but I cannot give 

 a description of their form, as in neither case had I happened 

 to look in the right direction at the moment they appeared. 

 These bright flashes occurred at about 1*45. 



I saw one or two exceptions to the straight form in the long 

 meteors. There was one decidedly crooked, or waved. Several 

 of the meteors indeed were curved, as an effect of perspective, 

 from their great length, if seen in the south or north. A few 

 nuclei appeared without trains, merely showing a second or 

 two as bright moving stars ; but these were exceptions to the 

 general rule. 



Towards half-past two o'clock I began to notice that the 

 phenomena were decreasing ; at a quarter to three the meteors 

 were rarely visible ; and at half-past three they had almost 

 entirely subsided. At 4*25 I remained on the watch for about 

 ten minutes, and no meteors whatever were visible. 



* Mr. Slack, it will be remembered, makes the following remark on similar 

 meteors, " Probably their tails were behind them, and invisible from the fore- 

 shortening of perspective." 



