172 
may be floating in a fluid sufficiently dense to sustain them, 
but at the same time easily thrust aside by some disturbing 
cause below the surface. The existence of an external cause 
at the surface of the sun being improbable, may not the cause 
of the sun spots arise from a current or force, such as the 
“ red flames ,” which are supposed to be connected with the 
formation of spots? This force acting on the “ willow leaves” 
would raise them from the level at which they may be sup- 
posed to float, they would slide under and over each other, 
and thus leave an opening ; and, upon the gradual cessation 
of the disturbing cause, the tendency of the “ willow leaves ” 
would be to gradually assume their former positions and close 
up the spots in a way similar to the closing of the film in the 
simple experiment referred to. 
Mr. Brothers also stated that, while observing the moon 
with his five-inch achromatic telescope at about eight o’clock 
on the evening of March 25th, he observed a small dark body 
cross the disc diagonally, from left to right, a little below the 
spot Copernicus. The motion was very rapid and similar to 
the passage of a luminous meteor across the field of view. 
He conceived it might be a meteoric body passing through 
space at a distance considerably beyond the limits of the 
earth’s atmosphere. 
