82 Meteorites and What they leach tis. — Hensoldt. 
numbers of fragments would be sent through space in similar 
directions, forming swarms which, on coming within the at- 
traction of some great body, would take definite courses, while 
many others would be so directed as to diverge the further 
they move, till each pursues a solitary path. The magnificent 
showers of so-called shooting-stars, have been proved to be 
caused by the passage of the earth through such bands of trav- 
elling bodies, and even comets have now been identified with 
streams of planetary bodies of minute size, moving in regular 
orbits through our system. 
Now as it is extremely probable that many meteorites are 
fragments of the celestial bodies vastly mightier than them- 
selves, their closer examination leads us to the conclusion 
that at least some are derived from planets very similar to, if 
not identical in composition with our globe, and that they 
come from the interior's of those masses and are the resultants 
of explosion. If we examine those minerals which most fre- 
quently occur in meteorites, we are startled to observe that 
they are almost without exception those which constitute the 
basic lavas, viz. : those volcanic rocks which, as we have al- 
ready pointed out, are derived from the deepest seated igneous 
reservoirs in the crusts of our planets. Olivine, enstatite, au- 
gite, anorthite, magnetite and chromite are most frequently 
contained in meteorites and these are the very minerals of 
which the basic and ultra-basic lavas almost exclusively con- 
sist. Masses bearing the most striking resemblance to me- 
teorites are sometimes ejected from volcanic vents in the 
shape of so-called volcanic bombs and even metallic iron has 
now been discovered in the most basic of all known terrestrial 
lavas, viz : the Ovifak basalt, iron alloyed even with two other 
metals, nickel and cobalt, which form so characteristic a fea- 
ture in the iron of meteoric origin. 
We know comparatively little of the interior of our planet, 
being only acquainted with a very insignificant portion of its 
crust and even the basic lavas, which in all probability repre- 
sent the deepest known regions of that crust, furnish us with 
but very scanty information respecting the nature of the 
vastnesses beneath. But though we shall probably never be 
able to ascertain the condition of the interior of the earth 
by direct observation we are in the position to say that the 
masses forming the bulk of this interior must be quite differ- 
