14 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
otlier questions, came to the fore at first as likely to yield some- 
thing- tangible in the attempted elucidation of the subject, but 
the materials from which the investigation must be conducted 
were of the most imperfect, indefinite nature, and there seemed 
little prospect of a satisfactory solution of the question on such 
a basis. Records there were, and in abundance, of many 
exceptionally large meteors and of star- showers ; but though 
the facts were well attested in themselves, the descriptions failed 
in the most important details. The observers had been startled 
by the unexpected character of the phenomena, and had given 
exaggerated accoimts of what they had seen. The vivid bright- 
ness of a meteor (overpowering the lustre of the stars, and even 
vieing with the Moon in splendour), the flaming train left in 
its wake (curling itself up into grotesque shapes as it drifted 
and died away), the form of the nucleus with its jets and sparks, 
and the final explosion with the accompanying reverberations, 
were all portrayed by the enthusiastic observer ; but in rare 
cases only were the really valuable points preserved for investi- 
gation. The direction of the meteors’ flight amongst the stars, 
and the duration of its visibility, were facts of more significance 
than the mere appearance of such an object, which, though 
imposing in an extreme degree, was yet useless for calculation 
of the orbit. That these points were seldom given their due 
weight by some observers is to be regretted, though it is a 
matter for congratulation that at the present day men are fully 
alive to the importance attached to such records. 
Heis at Aachen (and later at Munster), in Germany, was 
the first to devote himself with proper method to the habitual 
observation of shooting- stars. He was attracted to the subject 
at a time when our knowledge was meagre in the extreme, 
entering a path untrodden by any previous observers, and setting 
an example to those who followed him in the same line of 
research. His observations soon indicated the existence of a 
large number of meteor-showers, and showed that the periodical 
displays of August and November, though unique and specially 
interesting as furnishing many falling stars at their several 
epochs, were not by any means the only such systems requiring 
investigation. He was aided by the contemporary labours of 
Schmidt at Bonn and Athens, and other assiduous observers, 
who now began systematically to apply themselves to the work, 
cataloguing the apparent paths of the meteors visible during 
their watches, with the ultimate view of comparing them to- 
gether and deducing the radiant points of the chief showers. 
Thus the work progressed until Schiaparelli of Milan enunciated 
down, to the Earth, and are precipitated, not only on inhabited countries, 
hut also and in greater numbers, beyond these, into the great sea, so that 
they remain concealed.’ 
