24 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
that at some future time when such records have multiplied 
an attempt will be made at a complete reduction, with the 
idea of distinguishing the showers common to each night of 
the year. We have already gathered a sufficiency of materials 
for certain periods, viz., April 18-20, July 25-31, August 5-12, 
October 18-22, November 10-13, &c., when observers have 
been diligently watching the occurrence of the special showers 
of those epochs. In August particularly a large number of 
records have accumulated, and chiefly on the few nights when 
the Perseids offer an abundant display; in fact, about two-fifths 
of the aggregate mass of shooting-star observations are for this 
period alone, and it is now important that the work should be 
more equally distributed over the year. Many nights have 
been almost wholly neglected, and many suspected showers 
have received meagre support. The more slenderly ascertained 
epochs now demand investigation, equally with those already 
well- authenticated by numerous observations. 
Certain nights of the year show a marked predominance of 
fireballs and meteors of the brilliant class. The writer recently 
tabulated about 3600 such observations with the view of finding 
the special dates of frequency, which were indicated as follows:* 
January 2 , 21, 31. 
February 3, 7 , 10. 
March 1, 2, 4. 
April 11 - 12 , 19 - 20 . 
May 2, 4, 15, 31. 
June 6 -7, 12, 29-30. 
July 11, 20-21, 25 - 30 . 
August 3, 5, 7 - 13 , 15, 19-22. 
September 1 - 2 , 6 - 7 , 11-13, 25. 
October 13, 15, 17-18, 22, 24, 29. 
Nov. 1 - 2 , 4, 6 - 9 , 11 - 15 , 19 , 27 . 
December S-9, 11 - 12 , 21 . 
The most remarkable of these dates are distinguished by larger 
type ; they agree in many instances with the epochs of pro- 
minent meteor-showers. 
From the extensive lists of radiant points published during 
the last few years, it is difficult to select those positions offering 
the most abundant displays ; but it is believed that the following 
table (necessarily very incomplete) includes the chief showers 
observed or reduced by the writer during the last few years. 
Epoch. 
R. A Decl. 
Jan. 1 
230* + 51* 
Jan. 9 and Dec. ) 
10-13 1 
221 + 41 
Jan. 14 
130 + 44 
Jan. 17 
295 + 53 
Feb. 15-20 
236 + 11 
Feb. 20 
181 + 34 
Feb. 20 
263 + 36 
Mar. 
175 + 10 
Mar. 14 and ) 
April 9-12 ] 
249 + 51 
Epoch. 
Mar. 14 
April 9-12 
April 9-12 
April 19-20 
April 19-23 
April 19-23 
April 19-23 
April-May 
R. A. Decl. 
263°+ 48 
212 + 65 
184 + 59 
274 + 37* 
288 + 22 
295 + 42 
280 + 58 
229 - 4 
210 - 10 
May 
Jul 7 n > 2 5- 31 ’ and l 6 + 37 
Aug. 10 ) 
* The Observatory , vol. iii. pp. 127-32. 
