214 A crolites. 
mate was 8,282 feet in the second; Laplace, 7,862; and 
Poisson, 7,585,—results all approximating very closely with 
those stated by Olbers. 
We have already observed, at the beginning of this 
paper, that meteoric stones may fall at any moment, but 
observations, extending over many years, have sometimes 
been brought forward to show that, as far as locality is con- 
cerned, all countries are not equally liable to these visita- 
tions. In other words, the large number of aérolites which 
have been known to fall within a certain limited area, has 
been contrasted with the apparent rarity of such 
occurrences beyond these limits. If it could be proved that 
the earth possessed more attractive power in some places 
than in others, this circumstance might be satisfactorily ex- 
plained, but in default of any such evidence, the advocates 
of this theory must rely solely upon statistics, which from 
their very nature require to be taken with a certain amount 
of reserve. Professor Shepard, in Sz/iimans American 
Fournal, has remarked that “ the fall of aérolites is confined 
principally to two zones; the one belonging to America is 
bounded by 33° and 44° north latitude, and is about 25° in 
length. Its direction is more or less from north-east to 
south-west, following the line of the Atlantic coast. Of all 
known occurrences of this phenomenon during the last fifty 
years, 92°8 per cent. have taken place within these limits, 
and mostly in the neighbourhood of the sea. The zone of 
the eastern continent—with the exception that it extends 
ten degrees more to the north—lies between the same de- 
grees of latitude, and follows a similar north-east direction, ~ 
but is more than twice the length of the American zone. 
Of all the observed falls of aérolites, 90°9 per cent., have 
taken place within this area, and were also concentrated in 
that half of the zone which extends along the Atlantic.” 
On reference to a map, it will be seen that in the western 
continent, the so-called zone is simply confined to the 
United States—the most densely inhabited portion of 
America. In like manner the eastern zone leaves out the 
whole of desert Africa, Lapland, Finland, the chief part of 
Russia, with an average of thirty-two inhabitants to each 
square mile; Sweden and Norway, with only seventeen per 
mile, whilst it embraces all the well peopled districts of 
central Europe, most of which, like England, are able to 
count between three and four persons to every mile of their 
territory. In fact, Professor Shepard’s statement may 
almost be resolved into a plain question of population, for 
