88 



HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



probable that March will be for cold still more so. 

 Even in the Tropics the weather has been wintry. 

 In the West Indies it has been cold, and in Calcutta 

 a thermometer in an exposed position registered 36 , 

 which is the lowest temperature ever known in or 

 near Calcutta during any cold season. 



Rain or snow fell on ten days in February to the 

 aggregate amount of o - 73 in., that is nearly three- 

 quarters of an inch. This amount, though very 

 small, and much less than half the average, is 

 equivalent to upwards of S2 tons to the acre. That 

 the rainfall has been so low has been advantageous, 

 the effect of moisture being on the whole to lower 

 the temperature. Mr. Chadwick says that in one 

 instance which came under his notice, an elevation 

 of six degrees of temperature had been effected by 

 the drainage of a thousand acres of land. 



The average mean temperature of London in April 

 is nearly 49 Fahr. The average rainfall of London 

 is between one and two inches, while along the 

 coast to the south and south-east it is full two 

 inches, and on the south-west coast, west 'of Ply- 

 mouth, it is three inches. 



A NEW STAR GUIDE. 

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



ANEW Star Gaide has just been published, 

 which has been compiled by Messrs Latimer 

 Clark and Herbert Sadler, who are both Fellows of 

 the Royal Astronomical Society. This guide is 

 intended specially for owners of small astronomical 

 telescopes, from two to four inches aperture. 



The authors justly remark, that many possessors of 

 such small instruments strain their eyes and waste 

 their time in the fruitless endeavour to catch faint 

 nebulae and separate difficult double-stars which are 

 beyond the power of their telescopes. This Star 

 Guide contains a carefully selected list of objects 

 which may be well seen with telescopes of from two 

 to three inches aperture, and in all it includes about 

 six hundred of the most beautiful and interesting 

 objects visible in the northern heavens with instru- 

 ments of this description. The positions and times 

 of transit are given for each tenth day in the year. 



With very few exceptions no double-star has been 

 inserted in the list the brighter component of which 

 falls below the seventh magnitude — the magnitude of 

 the smallest of the satellites of Jupiter — or the fainter 

 of which is not brighter than a tenth magnitude star, 

 or any forms which are too close to be conveniently 

 seen in a telescope of small size. No red star has 

 been included the colour of which cannot be seen, 

 or any nebulae or cluster which cannot be conveniently 

 observed with such an instrument. 



The distances of the double-stars are given in 

 seconds and tenths, and the angle of position, and the 

 magnitudes of the stars on W. Struve's scale. 



Though popular, this work is scientifically accu- 

 rate ; its possession will double the value of any 

 small telescope, and all owners of such instruments 

 who avail themselves of it will feel under a debt of 

 gratitude to the painstaking authors. 



OUR SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORY. 



[It is our desire to brjng out a Scientific Directory in the 

 monthly pages of Science-Gossip, feeling certain that it would 

 be very useful for our readers to know what scientific societies 

 had been formed in their own neighbourhoods. We shall there- 

 fore fee! very much obliged if Secretaries of any kind of 

 Scientific Society, in any town or part of the country, will send 

 us the full name and title of each Society, together,, with the 

 names of the President and Hon. Secretary.] 



Bedfordshire Natural History Society and Field 

 Club. Hon. Secretary, Mr. Thomas Gwyn Elger, 

 F.R.A.S., Kempston, Bedfordshire ; Hon. Treasurer, 

 Mr. J. Ekins ; Hon. Secretary of the Botanical 

 Section, Mr. J. Hamson. Meets at the Assembly 

 Rooms, Bedford. 



Bolton Microscopical Society (affiliated to the Royal 

 Microscopical Society). President, C. L. Jackson, 

 F.R.M.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Hill Fold House, Sharpies, 

 Bolton ; Hon. Secretary, W. Ridecout, F.R.M.S., 

 Seymour Road, Astley Bridge, Bolton. 



Dover Field Club and Natural History Society 

 (Wellesley Hall, 5 Townwall Street). President, 

 S. Webb, Esq., Maidstone House ; Hon. Secretary, 

 Rev. T. Robinson, 9 Effingham Crescent. 



Hemel Hempsted Natural History Society. Presi- 

 dent, J. Marnham, Esq., J.P. ; Hon. Secretaries, 

 B. Piffard, Hill House ; J. H. Harley, Herbert Street. 

 Leeds Geological Association. President, Mr. T. W. 

 Bell ; Hon. Secretary, Samuel A. Adamson, F.G.S., 

 52 Wellclose Terrace, Leeds. 



Liverpool Science Students 1 Association. Secretaries, 

 W. H. Read, 24 Fern Grove, Liverpool ; Miss H. 

 Fryer, 11 Tancred Road, Anfield, Liverpool. 



Nottingham Naturalists' 1 Society (established 1852). 

 President, H. Handford, M.D. ; Hon. Secretary, 

 W. Handley Kay, Gresham Chambers, Nottingham. 

 Portsmouth and Gosport Natural Science Society 

 (Protestant Institute, Portsmouth). President, Gen. 

 A. W. Drayson, F.R.A.S. ; Hon. Secretary, T. H. 

 Larcom, 54 Shaftesbury Terrace, Gosport. 



Stroud Natural Science Society. President, Thomas 

 Partridge, Esq., M.K.Q.C.P. ; Hon. Secretary, D. 

 Burford. 



Sydenham and Forest Hill Microscopical and 

 Natural History Club. President, Mr. E. L. C. P. 

 Hardy ; Vice-Presidents, Mr. E. F. Jones, Mr. 

 F. Horniman; Secretary, Mr. A. C. Perrins, 12 

 Sunderland Villas, Forest Hill. 



Warrington Field Club (the Museum, Bold Street). 

 Secretary, W. H. Woodcock. 



Wiltshire Archaological and Natural History 

 Society. President, Nevil Story Maskelyne, Esq., 

 M.P. ; Hon. Secretaries, Rev. Alfred Charles Smith, 

 Yatesbury Rectory, Calne ; H. E. Medlicott, Esq., 

 Sandfield, Potterne, Devizes. 



