OF THE 20th OF NOVEMBER, 1887. 
53 
from Sandford to Bisham being 38 miles, and from Oxford to 
Heading 24 miles. The area then diminishes to 6 miles in width 
between Pusey and Wantage, and extends finally in a narrow band 
to its termination at Upper Lamborne. 
The colouring on the map will give a better idea of the extent 
of the area affected by the meteorite than any verbal description. 
It will be seen that, omitting the extreme E.U.E. and W.S.W. 
points, and the isolated Warwickshire observation, we have, be¬ 
tween the Cambridge-Saffron Walden and Oxford-Beading lines, 
a parallelogram about 70 miles in length by 25 miles wide, con¬ 
taining 1750 square miles. 
Assuming that the state of the atmosphere, at the time of the 
passage of the meteorite, was equally favourable, to the dispersal 
of any aerial vibration in any direction from any one point,—and 
the reports we have show that such a condition prevailed, on the 
surface of the earth at all events, the wind being very slight (from 
the H.E.), and the air more or less foggy,—a simple explosion at 
one point would result in a circular area of sound-distribution. 
The elongated figure, in fact, presented, can only be accounted for 
by a series of explosions occurring at different points along the 
course of the meteorite, or by a sound arising from the passage of the 
meteorite through the air, or by a combination of the sounds pro¬ 
duced by these two causes. If the area affected by disturbance set 
up from whatever cause along the track of the passing meteorite is 
alone considered, we are naturally driven to assume that track to 
lie over the major-axis of the area in which the sound is recorded, 
viz. on the Westley-Lamborne line already referred to. We know 
from the Hertford observation that the meteorite passed from E. to 
W. upon or near this very line, which, subject to a consideration 
of other facts observed, seems therefore a probable course. Upon 
or very near this line are Boyston, Baldock, Hitchin, Dunstable, 
Aylesbury, Thame, Abingdon, and Wantage. Its nearest point to 
Hertford would be 13^ miles distant from, and about H.H.W. of 
that town, and it would pass about 7 miles off and to the S.S.E. 
of Oxford. Erom Solihull to Upper Lamborne is about 61 miles, 
in a direction a few degrees E. of S. 
(2) Area of well-marked aerial disturbance. 
A further development of the map, by the marking in of the 
localities in which the sound of the meteorite was specially loud 
and definite, will, in some respects, help us in fixing its course; 
although it seems probable that local circumstances have, in some 
cases at any rate, done much to increase the volume of sound 
reaching particular observers. 
Of 50 localities in which the disturbance occasioned by the 
meteorite was specially definite, 8 (Gamlingay, Barrington, Shepreth, 
Melbourn, Guilden Morden, Steeple Morden, Bassingbourn, and 
Boyston) are in the S.W. of Cambridgeshire; 1 (Waresley) is in 
Huntingdonshire, on the Cambridgeshire border; 13 (Potton, Sandy, 
Wrestlingworth, Biggleswade, Lidlington, Ampthill, Silsoe, Elitton, 
