HA RD WIL K& S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



183 



and breeding qualities ; but it is without exception 

 the most ferocious bee known outside India. 



10. South African. — There is an excellent bee 

 in the Cape Colony, the size and colour of, but a 

 little greyer than, the Italian. It is tractable, very 

 prolific, and of most remarkable working powers ; a 

 recent writer stating that where honey is to be 

 gathered they keep at it early and late, and often 

 even by moonlight. 



Whilst all these races breed freely when crossed 

 with each other, so that they cannot be regarded as 

 separate species, they all differ in certain particulars, 

 the most striking of which are noted above. The 

 differences are, no doubt, the result of their being 

 influenced by climatic surroundings, as well as in 

 some districts of a long course of too close breeding. 



Studying these ten varieties with the aid of the 

 map of the world, it appears that the nearer India 

 is approached so much fiercer is the temper of the 

 bees found to be. The question then might arise, 

 Was this the condition of the first original bee, and 

 have her descendants, as they migrated into colder 

 climes, lost some of that ferocity which renders the 

 Indian bee the terror of travellers through the woods 

 of that continent ? 



A point which opens a wide field of study is the 

 colour of several races, and what developed it, and 

 how far it is to be taken as an index of common 

 descent ; thus dark-coloured races are found in north- 

 west Europe, Hungary, Carniola, and Tunis, where 

 they are wide apart from each other. 



It is to be hoped that before the modern -bee- 

 breeders have obliterated the old distinct varieties, 

 those who have the opportunities will make careful 

 coloured drawings, measurements of queens, drones, 

 and workers, and further observations of all their 

 pecularities. It will be too late to attend to this 

 branch of natural history when Apis Americana, as 

 we are told the new and improved bee of the " good 

 time coming "is to be called, has taken possession 

 of the hives of the world. 



H. W. Lett, M.A. 



ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 

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



IN the Annual Report for the Paris Observatory 

 reference is made to the completion and success 

 of the new apparatus for celestial photography, the 

 object-glass of which is about a foot in diameter. 

 Admiral Mouchez speaks of it in his report as the 

 most notable progress made for a long while in 

 Observational Astronomy, and adds that by the aid 

 of instruments of this description the present gene- 

 ration of astronomers ought to be able to leave as a 

 legacy to their successors the positions in the sky of 

 from twenty to thirty millions of stars visible to the 

 most powerful instruments. 



The new method of photographic research has been 

 used to determine the relative brightnesses of the 

 satellites of Jupiter, and to an examination of the 

 question of the variability of brightness of the planet 

 Neptune, which has often been suspected, but 

 appears to be negatived by the process, as the photo- 

 graphs indicate no change. The small apparatus takes 

 stars of the twelfth magnitude with one hour's expo- 

 sure. With the large apparatus stars can be taken of 

 the sixteenth magnitude. A magnificent photograph of 

 the Pleiades has been obtained, showing 1421 stars. 



A new arrangement of the mercury trough for 

 observations by reflection has been contrived by Mr. 

 Gautier, which appears to answer perfectly its pur- 

 pose of neutralising the effects of a tremor in the 

 ground produced by passing vehicles, etc. 



At the June meeting of the Royal Astronomical 

 Society Mr. Cornu described a method of determining 

 which lines in the solar spectrum are atmospheric, 

 and which are due to solar absorption. By means of 

 an oscillating mirror the eastern and western limbs 

 of the sun are thrown on the slit alternately ; the true 

 solar lines appear to oscillate, while the atmospheric 

 lines remain stationary. 



The Rev. F. Howlett read a paper in which he 

 stated, that he had not been able to detect any fore- 

 shortening of the penumbra of the spots when near 

 to the sun's limb. 



In August Mercury will be a morning star. 



Venus will be a morning star. 



Mars and Jupiter will be evening stars. 



There will be no occultations of any stars above 

 the fourth magnitude. 



Pising, Southing, and Setting of the Principal 

 Planets at intervals of Seven Days. 



