Meteorites can hardly be called common, but there is always a chance of finding one, and their interest is so great, that none should escape because unrecognized. Meteorites are visitors to the earth from space, and they bring to us knowledge of the composition of planets and solar systems, other than our own. It is of interest to note, that while they have brought to us some combinations of elements which do not occur in the earth, still they have not brought any element with which we were not already familiar. They are popularly known as “falling” or “shooting stars,” though of course they are not stars, but only small masses of matter which are entirely invisible until they come inside our atmosphere. In space there are many small (compared with the size of the earth) chunks of matter, each pursuing its solitary way around the sun, or wandering through space along paths entirely unrelated to the sun. From time to time one of these passes near enough to the earth, so as to be influenced by its attraction, and then comes rushing toward it at tremendous speed, 20 to 30 miles per second. As soon as it comes into the atmosphere, even the very attenuated atmosphere, a couple of hundred miles above the surface, friction heats the surface of the meteor until it glows, and by that light we see the so-called shooting star, often with a trail of luminous matter streaming out behind. Of course in using this term “shooting star,” we understand the meteor is no star, for they are bodies as big as our sun, shining at distances billions of miles away. As the meteor rushes through the atmosphere it may all burn up, no large fragment reaching the earth’s surface. The luminous matter streaming out behind is material which has melted and dripped off the main mass. As this oxidizes and cools, that part which did not become gaseous will finally fall to the earth as fine dust. When however a meteor actually falls to the earth, its surface is still hot, though probably there has not been time enough for much heat to be transmitted to the interior. At any rate they do not show any alteration due to this cause. On landing and sometimes before they land meteors break into two or more pieces. When found the surface always shows the effects of the heat generated by the friction of passing through the air, the surface being smoothed, and covered with stream lines and melted out pits and hollows, and the outer surface consisting of a thin crust, making an appearance, which once seen, can hardly be mistaken.