Astronomy. 429 



first hal-f of the present year (1883) at the cost of the Earl of Crawford. 

 At La Paz, in Bolivia, 12,000 feet, with the full Moon in the sky, ten 

 stars were seen in the Pleiades with the naked eye, and also two stars in 

 the head of the Bull that are not in Argelander's Uranometria Nova. 

 The rainy season lasted roughly until the end of March, after which there 

 was a large proportion of fine sky. At Puno, on Lake Titicaca, 12,G0O 

 feet, with a 6-iuch telescope mounted on a lathe headstock, a number 

 of small planetary nebulae and some stars with very remarkable spectra 

 were found by sweeping the southern part of the Milky Way with a 

 prism on Professor Pickering's plan. The most remarkable stars had 

 spectra reduced almost to two Lines, one neari> aud the other beyond F, 

 with a wave-length of 467 millimeters, aud apparently identical with a 

 line in some only of the northern nebulae as observed by Mr. Lohse and 

 Mr. (Jopeland. A few close double stars were also found, amongst them 

 £ Muscse. 



At Vincocaya, 14,360 feet, the solar spectrum was examined with a 

 somewhat damaged instrument. The chief fact noted was the relative 

 brightness of the violet end of the spectrum. With a small spectroscope 

 several lines were seen beyond H aud H 2 . The prominences were vis- 

 ible with almost equal facility in C, D 3 , F, and H 8 . Attempts to see 

 the corona proved futile, nor were the prominences seen otherwise 

 than in the spectroscope, the only difference being that the slit could 

 be opened far wider than down at the sea level. A most careful exam- 

 ination of the zodiacal light failed to show even the slightest suspicion 

 of a line in its spectrum, which was continuous, although short. Both 

 at Puno and Vincocaya the air was very dry ; the relative humidity 

 there and at Arequipa, 7,700 feet, being as low as 20 per cent. At 

 Vincocaya the black bulb at one time stood above the local boiling 

 point, while the wet bulb was coated with ice. The author was of opin- 

 ion that an observatory might be maintained without discomfort up to 

 12,000 feet, or even a little higher — the night temperature falling only 

 slightly below the freezing point. At greater elevations the thermom- 

 eter falls 1° for every 150 feet of height, the barometer sinking about 

 0.1 iuch for the same change. At 15,000 feet it will thus be seen that 

 arduous winter conditions are reached without any very material gain 

 in the transparency of the atmosphere. From information received it 

 seems possible to maintain a station for a short time in the early sum- 

 mer as high as 18,500 feet ; later on the rains set in and render travel- 

 ing very difficult. Bailway and steamboat communication enable in- 

 struments of any size and weight to be carried as high as 14,660 feet, 

 and as far as the Titicaca shore of Bolivia. {Nature, October 18, 1883.) 



The English Nautical Almanac. — The volume of this ephemeris for 

 1887, was published in November, 1883, the contents being generally 

 the same as in previous years. The track of the total solar eclipse of 

 August 19 is given in detail for the greater part of the course, and the 



