ASTRONOMY. 439 



Warner Observatory. — The 16-inch refractor has been used for the 

 past three years mainly in the search for new nebulae. A catalogue of 

 some 200 faint nebulae has been published. 



Washburn Observatory. — " The third volume of the ' Publications of 

 the Washburn Observatory,' lately issued, gives the results of the work 

 of 1884. About 1,800 observations were made with the Eepsold meri- 

 dian-circle upon the Gesellschaft southern fundamental stars and the 

 Leyden Cape of Good Hope refraction-stars. The instrumental con- 

 stants are given for each observing day, and an investigation of the 

 zeuithdistance micrometer-screw and of the horizontal flexure of the 

 instrument. In the cold winter weather of Wisconsin the micrometer- 

 springs turned out too weak to pull the slides, and had to be replaced with 

 stiffer ones. The probable error of a single declination is now reduced 

 to 0"-4, a great improvement over that noted in vol. ii. ; and a correc- 

 tion of +0"-30 rt0"-026 to the constant of the ' Pulkowa refractions? 

 seems to be called for by the observations of 1884 to suit the atmosphere 

 over Madison. Professor Holden expresses his continued satisfaction 

 with the Eepsold meridian-circle, and appears to be making a very 

 thorough study of it ; and in this his example might well be followed 

 with profit by some of our older established observatories. Two deter- 

 minations of the latitude by Mr. G. C, Comstock are given — one from 

 Professor Holden's and his own observations with the zenith-telescope, 

 the other from his own with the prime-vertical transit, using both re- 

 flected and direct observations ; the declinations in both cases being 

 those of Auwers' system. They come out respectively -i-43o 4' 36"-97± 

 0"07 and -f 43° 4' 36" -99 iO" -06, remarkably accordant results. The 

 fifth part of the volume is a ' Catalogue of 1,001 southern stars for 18500 

 from observations by Signor P. Tacchini, at Palermo, in the years 1867, 

 1868, 1869,' by Rev. Father Hagen, S. J., and Edward S. Holden. The 

 original observations had never been reduced to mean place, but being 

 good ones and in a part of the sky where needed, we have here the 

 anomaly of European work reduced and published in this country; and 

 Father Hagen and Professor Holden are to be highly commended for 

 making it available, while its comparison with Oeltzen's Argelander 

 (south) and the Washington zones served to detect many errors in these 

 catalogues. The sixth part gives the observations of 437 southern 

 stars made with the Washington transit-circle, and also the position of 

 the same stars (whenever occurring) from the catalogues of Yarnall, 

 Gould's zones, and Stone, all the positions being reduced to 1850.0 by 

 Father Hagen. This is the first opportunity for easy comparison on a 

 large scale between these four systems of southern declinations, and 

 the comparison develops the following important differences of north 

 polar-distance : — 



Washington —Yarnall = -f 1"-12 (from 220 stars). 



Washington -Gould (Z. C.) = -4-l"-90 (from 215 stars). 



Washington — Stone = + l''-00 (from 238 stars). 



