PERIODIC OUTBURSTS IN THE OLD NOVA V446 HERCULIS

We present data showing that over the last 4 yr V446 Her (=Nova Her 19 60) has had outbursts or flares at a mean interval of 23 days with an amplitude of similar to 1.5 mag. These events vary in width from 5 to 11 days. During at least some periods of time, the recurrence interval is stable to within the observational error (typically +/-3 days). Th e spectrum of V446 Her in quiescence is shown to have an excitation le vel intermediate to that of dwarf novae- and nova-like cataclysmic var iables. This fact, along with other evidence, leads us to suggest that these outbursts may be due to mass transfer events rather than dwarf nova-like accretion disk instabilities.