Fireballs differ vastly from shooting stars in exposing a larger surface to the opposing atmosphere, as they make their downward plunge from space therein. It is when they suddenly come in contact with the particles of which the air surrounding our planet is composed, that their presence is first made known to us. When a shooting star finally blazes out, owing to the friction caused by the encounter, it is at a height of from thirty to fifty-five miles above the ground. It is then dissipated in vapor, and vanishes. No wonder these balls of fire caused terror among the ignorant and superstitious in the days when their meaning was unknown. In Mr. Denning’s book, _Telescopic Work for Starlight Evenings_, page 269, there is a drawing made by J. Plant of Salford, as an illustration, giving an excellent idea of the imposing aspect of a fireball, seen by this observer on November 23, 1877, as it emerged from behind a cloud. Judging from the date, it might have been one of the Bielids, provided its radiant was in the constellation Andromeda. It was, however, in Taurus. Fireballs are usually silent, but sometimes they have been known to explode with a loud noise. The fireball which was observed (as above) in November, 1877, is said to have “given a sound like salvos of artillery, and doors and windows were violently shaken.” As a rule, however, there is no audible explosion, the bright nucleus fading out until it is reduced to a mere spark before disappearing. Occasionally fireballs have been known to give out three or four brilliant flashes before fading from view. These flashes, often of startling intensity, have been described as “coming less swiftly than flashes of lightning.” They remind one forcibly of moonlight breaking through the clear intervals in passing clouds. There is always something mysterious about these luminous objects as they emerge so stealthily from the darkness, vanishing as silently as they came. During the month of August fine meteoric displays may be looked for, between the 10th and 13th of that month. They are sometimes referred to as “the tears of St. Lawrence,” since the 10th of August is dedicated to the memory of that saint. However, they are more generally known as the Perseids, their radiant being in the constellation Perseus. As this group of stars has risen tolerably high about nine o’clock in the northeastern sky during the month of August, watching for Perseids is an easier matter than in the case of the Leonids, which do not appear at their best until “the wee sma’ hours.”