HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



my friend Mr, J, E. Mason, of Alford, in this county. 

 He found them on a vole (now in the Museum at 

 Edinburgh) which was brought into his house by 

 his cat. 



Figure 2 is a view of the upper-surface of the 

 mite. It will be observed that the larger portion of 

 the body is covered with a chitinous plate of a dark 

 brown colour ; in its middle is a darker portion in the 

 form of a cross. The creature is covered with a number 

 of strong spiky hairs, especially noticeable near the 

 edge of the dorsal plate, and on the hinder margin of 

 the soft part of the body. 



Figure i shows the under-surface. There are two 

 somewhat quadrangular chitinous plates, one thoracic, 

 the other abdominal, having spiky hairs, especially 

 near the angles. And besides these two plates, there 

 is a third lighter-coloured anal plate, of. a triangular 

 shield-shape, having the anal aperture in the centre, 

 a small hair on each side of this aperture and a long 

 spiky hair at the apex. 



The two spiracles are easily seen, also the air-tubes 

 leading from them. 



C. F. George. 



A 



ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 



By John Browning, F.R.A.S. 



T the meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society 

 Mr. J. Roberts described the instrument by 

 means of which he measured and engraved copies of 

 stellar photographs, to which I referred in my last 

 article. The diameters of the star discs are mea- 

 sured by the aid of a micrometer connected with a 

 graving tool moving over a copper plate, so that a 

 circle is drawn on the plate corresponding to the 

 size of the photographed star disc, and the position 

 of the star is accurately registered on the copper 

 plate. 



Mr. Inwards described a novel compensating pen • 

 dulum of very simple construction. The pendulum 

 has a steel rod and a steel sphere. The rod is 

 suspended by a spring, which is clasped between 

 jaws held in a sliding block of metal, which moves 

 vertically in a groove below the point of suspension. 

 With each variation of temperature the sliding block 

 moves up or down, so that the spring is clasped by 

 the jaws at a different height, as the sliding block is 

 attached to a zinc rod, the height of which can be 

 adjusted by a fine screw. 



In January Mercury will be an evening star, setting 

 at the beginning of the month about 4 aft., and on 

 the 31st at 6.33 aft. 



Venus will be an evening star, setting on the 1st 

 at 7 hrs. 41 min., and on the 31st at 9 hrs. 7 min. 



Mars will be an evening star, setting on the ist at 

 7 hrs. 47 min., and on the 31st at 8 hrs. 3 min. 



Jupiter will be a morning star, rising on the 1st at 

 6.46 A.M., and on the 31st at 5.15 a.m. 



Saturn will be an evening star, rising on the ist at 

 7.13 P.M., and on the 31st at 5.3 p.m. 



Meteorology.— A.\. the Royal Observatory, Green- 

 wich, the lowest reading of the barometer for the 

 week ending 24th November, was 29-61 in. on 

 Tuesday morning, and the highest 30-06 in. on 

 Friday evening. The mean temperature of the air 

 was 49 deg., and 7-8 deg. above the average. The 

 general direction of the wind was W.S.^V. Rain 

 fell on two days of the week, to the aggregate amount 

 of o'li in. The duration of registered bright sun- 

 shine in the week was 6-2 hours, against 5-1 hours 

 at Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 8th December, the lowest 

 reading of the barometer was 29-75 in. at the be- 

 ginning of the week, and the highest was 30"6 in. on 

 Thursday morning. The mean temperature of the 

 air was 49-1 deg., and 6-7 deg. above the average. 

 The general direction of the wind was S.S.W. Rain 

 fell on three days of the week, to the aggregate 

 amount of o' 17 in. The duration of registered bright 

 sunshine in the week was n"5 hours, against 9-3 

 hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 



The temperature in January is several degrees 

 higher on the west coast than it is on the east coast. 



The isotherm, or line of equal temperature, 38°, 

 runs along the east coast from Berwick to Lincoln, 

 and then trending to the west returns inland through 

 York to Dumfries. 39° runs from Kirkcudbright 

 through Bolton, Chester, Hereford, Oxford and 

 London to Rarasgate. 40° from Wigtown, through 

 Radnor, Bournemouth, Bristol, Salisbury, South- 

 ampton, and four miles inland along the coast to 

 Folkestone. 41° from the Isle of ]\Ian, [_ through 

 Taunton to the Isle of Wight. 42° from Anglesea, 

 through Swansea, across Dartmoor to the sea. 43° 

 from Pembroke through Plymouth. 44° runs through 

 Truro, and 45° just through the Land's End. 



In January the average rainfall on the east coast 

 is I inch ; inland throughout the midlands it is 

 2 inches ; along the south coast it is 3 inches, and 

 along the west coast it is mostly 6 inches, this last 

 figure representing the enormous amount of 620 tons 

 to each acre. 



Mild December Days — Some Curious Con- 

 trasts. — During the first week in December a strong 

 and broad current of air came across our islands from 

 the equatorial regions of the Atlantic, and unusually 

 mild weather was reported over the entire kingdom. 

 On the Continent, however, where light breezes 

 descend from a large anticyclonic system lying over 

 Central Europe, conditions were more seasonable, 

 and as a result some curious contrasts have recently 

 been observed between the weather over England 

 and the state of things prevailing in localities which 

 bear a reputation for sunny geniality. On the morn- 

 ing of the 4th of December, for example, London 

 was 5° warmer than Naples, 7° warmer than Monaco, 

 9° warmer , than Laghouat, in Central Algeria, 11°; 



