158 Falling Stars and Meteorites. 



That the great crowd of falling stars is seen chiefly on the 

 two occasions whose dates have been just given, is unquestion- 

 able ; but they are also numerous on the nights preceding and 

 following the principal ones, and they are visible, though less 

 frequently, during every fine clear night throughout the year. 



Few subjects are more interesting than the inquiry into the 

 meaning of these appearances, and the} 7 have from time to time 

 been noticed in these pages. Within the last few years there 

 has been an enormous quantity of material collected, both con- 

 cerning the actual history of showers of stones and meteors, 

 and the details of remarkable examples. Few who have not 

 followed the course of inquiry are aware how much material 

 exists, how frequent and portentous the larger instances have 

 been, and how very much positive proof there exists of the 

 materiality of some, at least, of the phenomena, in the existence 

 of many hundred well-authenticated specimens of fallen ston.es 

 in several of the principal museums of Europe. A few accounts 

 of remarkable cases will be both interesting and useful in pre- 

 paring the reader for a consideration of the explanations that 

 have been offered for the various facts recorded. 



And, first of all, with regard to the number of these ap- 

 pearances. In the present year, at Cambridge, nearly a hundred 

 meteors Avcrc counted by a single observer in one part of the 

 heavens between 10 p.m. and 1a.m. They were most abundant 

 towards midnight. On another occasion, some years since, 

 5G5 were counted on the corresponding night, but this was by 

 six observers, each taking a part of the heavens, and continuing 

 the observations for five hours, from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There 

 has hardly been an occasion, when the sky was clear, on which a 

 very large number of these curious appearances have not been 



n on the nights now known to bo rich in them. On other 

 nights they are occasional, but on these they succeed each other 

 rapidly. It is not reasonable to suppose that they aro limited 

 to the hours of darkness, and thus it becomes probable that 

 uninterruptedly, during certain days in the year, and at all 

 other times with /ularity, and to a smaller extent, these 



livel constantly communicating between the 



world and the outer space; these visible messages along the 

 telegraph "1' space are always reminding us that our earth is 

 notwandi a solitary path, but is surrounded by myriads 



of smiil! fraj □ ttter, made visible when they pass 



through our atmosphere, or when we pass near them in their 

 course. 



There are two d of phenomena connectod with 



use does nol o o rrespond exactly with sidereal time, and the phenomena thus ap- 

 ally later and later in the year, though the intervals between 



I heir recurrence is rculU the ;-aine. 



