128 REPORTS OF inve;stigations and projects. 



In a paper read at the Washington meeting of the National Academy of 

 Sciences in April last the proper-motions of our General Catalog were drawn 

 upon for a preliminary test of the hypothesis of random motion among the 

 stars. Four areas of 15° radius, with centers approximately 90° from each 

 other and from the apex of solar motion, containing in all 436 stars, were 

 taken into consideration. The motions of these stars appear very strongly 

 to favor the hypothesis that the direction taken by the motion of any given 

 star or system of stars is purely a matter of chance. It is necessary to 

 modify the statement in this way as to "systems of stars" because many such, 

 in which two or more stars have direction and velocity of motion in common, 

 are known to exist. It would be premature to say that the random motion 

 of stars has been demonstrated through this limited preliminary investiga- 

 tion; the object of the research was simply to gain some indication of prob- 

 ability on this point and an estimate of certain constants to be employed in a 

 tentative investigation of the precession and solar motion. Quite recently 

 we have taken this investigation in hand, basing it upon the proper-motions 

 of the Preliminary General Catalog. 



The right-ascensions of the new catalog are freed from the effect of per- 

 sonal equation dependent on magnitude, and further evidence has been 

 obtained that the elimination of this error has been practically effective. 



A portion of the staff has been engaged in preparation of the observing 

 lists both for the northern and southern hemispheres. Associated with this 

 work, in a labor-saving way, is the preparation in our usual manner of 

 ephemerides of the stars to be corrected by observation. This work is pro- 

 gressing well. 



Progress has also been effected in the final compilation of the Albany 

 observations, 1896-1900, into catalog form. Hitherto we have drawn upon 

 these observations as they have been required for the Preliminary General 

 Catalog; now we are forming the definitive catalog of about 10,000 stars, 

 mostly situated between the parallels of — 21° and — 37° of declination, for 

 the more extensive use required in the construction of our larger General 

 Catalog. It will also serve an important purpose as a connecting link be- 

 tween our projected observations to be made in the northern and southern 

 hemispheres. 



Operations relative to the new series of observations to be undertaken 

 here in connection with subsequent observations to be made in the southern 

 hemisphere have been initiated. These afford much encouragement in regard 

 to the efficiency of our transit-circle. It appears that we have no really 

 serious anomalies to fear in the use of this instrument. Thus we have, in 

 advance, assurances in regard to the reliability of our instrument similar to 

 those which have proved so advantageous in important series of fundamental 

 observations like those undertaken at Pulkowa, Greenwich, and the Cape of 

 Good Hope. This advantage is due, of course, simply to the long-continued 



