Fireball observed near Auchterarder, Perthshire. 69 



centre of Perthshire (in which I am) ; and that after being ignited in 

 the higher regions of our atmosphere, it was propelled (perhaps by the 

 shock ?) away from our earth for some hundreds of miles, until the force 

 being expended, it fell again, and was lost below my horizon. I had 

 occasionally seen meteors rise and then fall before, but never saw one 

 do so thus unmistakeably . 



** I should have said that the light of the meteor was intense, seeming 

 (perhaps by the contrast) greater than that of a full moon, though its 

 apparent body was not a tenth of the size of a full moon." 



This meteor was apparently at a considerable height above 

 the earth's surface, as it appears to have been seen at various 

 places distant from one another ; and the following note 

 from our Member, the Kev. Walter Wood, published in the 

 " Daily Keview," refers probably to the same luminous body, 

 as seen from a point still more to the eastward : — 



" Meteor. — Sir, — On Saturday, 7th February, between six and seven 

 o'clock, having occasion to go into a room the window of which looked 

 out on the sea, I observed a shimmering light upon the water, which 

 caused me to go nearer to the window in order to see from what it pro- 

 ceeded. I then observed a meteor moving from north-west to south-east 

 in a line nearly horizontal, but somewhat dipping downwards. Hardly 

 had I seen it, when it disappeared exactly in the direction in which I 

 knew Arthur's Seat was. The impression which the momentary glance 

 left upon my eye, was that of a broad blue riband once or twice twisted; 

 but probably its colour was intensely white, and only appeared blue by 

 contrast with the slight blush of sunset, which was still in the sky. I 

 should have fancied it was about a mile off, but if it was the same which 

 I have seen noticed by other observers, it must have been at a very great 

 distance indeed. — I am," &c, " W. Wood. 



" Elie, Fife, 19th February 1863." 



Reference is made at the close of this letter to the news- 

 paper notices of a meteor seen at Alyth, in the east of 

 Perthshire, and other places, which was thus noticed in the 

 " Scotsman" of 13th February:— 



"The remarkable meteor seen at Alyth on Saturday night, the 7th Feb- 

 ruary, was also observed over a very extensive range of country. It was 

 seen at Dublin, at Sydenham, and other places in England." 



This short notice induces another correspondent to write 

 to the newspapers, giving some additional particulars of 

 apparently the same meteor. He says, — 



" Edinburgh, February 13, 1863. 

 " Meteor. — Sir, — I see in your paper of to day a notice of a meteor 

 being seen at Alyth, Dublin. Sydenham, and other parts of England, on 



