194 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1887 AND 1888. 



the quality of the images of the stars. Tliis can be doue with a scin- 

 tilloscoi)e or more accurately ^vith the scintillometer, for it is this sciu- 

 tillatiou or superpositiou of au iiifiuite number of movable images that 

 causes the unsatisfactory seeing so often encountered. Herr Exner, in 

 studying the scintillation at Vienna, has not found a single night on 

 which this disagreeable phenomenon was not present. 



"The Observatory" on completing its tenth volume with the number 

 for December, 1887, i)assed from the hands of Messrs. Maunder, Down- 

 ing and Lewis to Messrs. Turner and Common. Tlie editors' address 

 remains Hyde House, Westcombe Park, Blackheath, S. E., England. 



The twefth Ineeting of the International Astronomische Gesellschaft 

 was held at Kiel from the 29tli to the 31st of August, 1887, under the 

 presidency of Dr. Auwers. The next meeting will be at Brussels in 

 1889. 



A new society for encouraging the study of nature, the " Gesellschaft 

 Urania," has been established at Berlin under tbe presidency of Pro- 

 fessor Forster, of the Berlin observatory. Popular lectures are given 

 on scientific subjects, and a very well- written popular journal, "Him- 

 mel uud Erde," is published, especial attention being paid to astron- 

 omy. 



Another new society, the " Soci(^t6 Astronomique de France," founded 

 January 28, 1887, at Paris, by M. Flanjmarion, has met with remark- 

 able success. Keports are published in the " Observatory," and in 

 " E'Astronomie," and the proceedings appear in an annual bulletin. 



Among recent works of general interest to astronomers are Professor 

 Langley's "New Astronomy," Young's "Text-book on Astronomy," 

 Proctor's "Old and New Astronomy," which is being published in 

 parts, and volume I, part 1, of Houzeau and Lancaster's admirable 

 " Bibliographie g6u6rale de I'asfcronomie." 



ASTRONOMICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR 1888, 



The following list contains the titles of the most important books and 

 journal articles published during the year 1888, with a few papers of 

 earlier date, that have come under the writer's notice. A number of 

 titles have also been taken from reviews or catalogues where the pub- 

 lications themselves have not been accessible. A more complete bibliog- 

 raphy for the year 1887 has already been published in the Smithsonian 

 Miscellaneous Collections, No. GGi, and it has not seemed advisable to 

 extend the present list by including references to observations of comets 

 and asteroids, or the titles of journals or other annual publications. 

 The prices quoted are generally from Friedliinder's Naturop Novitates, 

 in German "marks" (1 mark=IOO pfeunige=l franc 25 centimes=25 

 cents, nearly). 



In the references to periodicals the volume and i)age are simply sep- 

 arated by a colonj thus: "Astrou. Nachr., 118:309," indicates volume 



