METEORITES, N.S.W. 343 



ally facie away in this direction. (See Plates 5 and 6, figsl 

 3 and 4). I think that these waves and furrows clearly 

 show that the meteorite travelled through the earth's 

 atmosphere with the thick end in front, the waves of fused 

 oxides being thrown up by the resistance of the air, just as 

 waves are formed in water or sand by the wind, or at the 

 bows of a boat. That the meteorite did travel with the thick 

 end first is confirmed by the fact that at the thin end there 

 are longitudinal ridges and furrows in the fused skin which 

 clearly show where the excess of fused oxides dripped off 

 in the passage of the meteorite through the air, see Plate 6, 

 fig. 5, and also the thin end of fig. 1, Plate 3. The lumin- 

 ous streak usually seen behind a moving meteorite is, if 

 not wholly, certainly in part, due to such fused and incan- 

 descent matter left in its trail. Hence the waves and 

 other markings in the skin not only show that the meteorite 

 travelled with the thick end first, (this view is supported 

 by the position in which the meteorite was found), but 

 also its position while in flight, i.e.; with the curved point 

 of the thin end downwards as rej3resented in Plate 4, fig. 

 2; for the fused oxides forming the skin are thickest on 

 the lower ' side of the pointed end ; and as I have also 

 pointed out, there are the remains of the drops where the 

 melted material dripped off. The thick end also has the 

 longest and thickest streaks of fused skin on this side, and 

 that the fused oxides dripped off from this part also is 

 quite evident. 



Sections. — These were made by means of a steam hack- 

 saw in the University Engineering Laboratory. The sections 

 were made with great care so as to expose as large a surface 

 as possible and yet leave all the drip markings absolutely 

 untouched. (See Plates 5 and 6, figs. 3, 4 and 5). The 

 sections were polished and some were etched with copper 

 sulphate, but the one figured on Plate 7, was done with 



