_Bright Objects near the Sun._—Small, rapidly moving bodies have been occasionally reported as seen passing over the Sun. In several cases these have been prematurely assigned a meteoric origin. They have been described as luminous bodies of irregular shape, as moving in a common direction, and as being very distinct when projected on the dark sky just outlying the bright limb of the Sun. There is little doubt they are either the pappus of different kinds of seed, or convolutions of gossamer, which have been lifted to great heights in the air, and are rendered bright by reflection from the bordering Sun. In this connection I may mention some observations of my own with a 4-inch refractor:— “1889, MAY 20, 0^h 30^m P.M.—Bright points and little misty forms kept passing from the Sun’s limb, at the average rate of 13 in a minute. They moved in the same direction as the clouds and wind. Some of them were followed by tails, which were far from straight. I saw them best when I focused the telescope for an object much nearer than the Sun. One of these forms would occasionally halt and pursue an irregular flight. It was evident they were terrestrial objects, with motions controlled by the wind. “3^h P.M.—Many bright objects still passing from the Sun’s limb.” “1889, MAY 22, 9^h A.M.—Observed vast numbers of luminous particles floating about contiguous to the Sun’s margin. They were clearly carried along by the wind; but this being very slight, their motions were extremely slow, and now and then many of them became nearly stationary. Their directions were far from uniform, though the general tendency was obviously in a common line of flight. I watched them for some time passing in a plentiful shower.” These objects are always noticed in summer-time, and I believe they would much more frequently attract remark but for the fact that they require a longer focus than the Sun and cannot be recognized when on the disk, to which the observer is usually giving the whole of his attention. Those who are often employed in solar work will find it an interesting diversion to look for these bodies. The instrument should be focused as for a distant terrestrial object, and only a part of the Sun’s limb should be retained in the field of view of an eyepiece of moderately low power. Then, looking intently at the dark sky near the limb, the bright objects will be sometimes seen sailing past in considerable numbers.