Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 4.djvu/479

Rh forded me^for stating that the phenomenon above described has again reappeared this evening, at the same hour and in the same situation, or rather a very little more to the north, so as to graze and partly to involve the stars k, \ Leporis. It was also traceable in R. A. some little way beyond those stars on the following side. The horizon being more obscured by vapour tonight than last night, neither y, d, nor e Eridani could be seen.

The fixity of this object among the stars on the 17th, induced me to express to a member of my family this morning an idea that it might possibly be seen again tonight, in which event its extra-at- mospheric origin would become quite evident. If a thread be stretched on a celestial globe along the central line of the band as nearly as the above observations will enable us to fix it, and pro- longed to meet the ecliptic, it will strike on the actual place of the sun. The inference seems almost unavoidable, that our band is no other than the tail of a magnificent comet, whose head at the times of both observations has been below the horizon. I await, there- fore, with extreme interest, the event of further observation, but al- though to afford others an opportunity of observing it, it will be neces- sary for me, to make a more immediate and public announcement, I am still desirous to place on record my first impressions respecting so remarkable an appearance, in the mode originally intended, both as a mark of respect to the Royal Society, and as pointing inquiry to other luminous " streaks " and " columns " in the sky, which have been spoken of to me as having been seen during the last summer and autumn on more than one occasion, and which in point of fact caused me to desire every inmate of my family to give me imme- diate notice of the appearance of anything unusual in the heavens, and thus led directly to the observations above detailed.

A paper was also in part read, entitled, " Researches into the Structure and Developement of a newly discovered parasitic Ani- malcule of the Human Skin, the Entozoon folliculorum." By Eras- mus Wilson, Esq.: communicated by R. B. Todd, M.D., F.R.S.