The nature of AM Herculis.

The light curve of AM Herculis shows irregular variation in intensity of as much as 0.2 mag on time scales of minutes. No stable pulsations seem to exist, although quasi-periodic oscillations are evident in the light curves. We suggest that AM Her is a cataclysmic variable; while the evidence is not overwhelming, we favor the Z Camelopardalis subclassification. A possible identification of AM Her as the optical counterpart of a weak unidentified X-ray source is indicated. Subject headings: stars: individual - stars: U Geminorum