100 



RECORD OF SCIENCE FUK 1886. 



The stars are divided into eigbt classes, one more tban previously 

 used, as Scbonfeld Las included stars of the teuth magnitude, whereas 

 Arselander stopped at 0.5. 



Schonfeld's zones begin at — 2°, but the " counts " may be carried up 

 to the equator by utilizing Argelander's work ; the slight difference in 

 limiting magnitude will not affect materially the result. The stars 

 embraced in each degree of declination have been divided into gToui)s 

 of twenty minutes in right ascension, though only the sums for each 

 forty minutes have been published. 



The number of stars in each of the eight classes is as follows : 



Classes. 



I 



II 



Ill 



IV 



V 



VI 



VII 



VIII 



Total 



Maiinitudes, 



- G. 5 

 ()- 7.0 

 1- 7.5 

 G- 8.0 

 1- 8.5 

 G- 9. 

 1- 9. 5 

 G-10.0 



A. 



Number of 



stars 

 -2" to -230. 



1,2m 

 1,27G 



1,828 



3, 51G 



7, GO I 



18, (W:5 



55, 5(i5 



43, 89G 



133, 580 



B. 



Number of 



stars 

 0^ to - 23^^. 



1,3G9 



1,347 



1,952 



3, 800 



8,313 



20, 509 



G 1,540 



43, h9G 



142, 72G 



The numbers in column A comprise Schonfeld's stars only ; column 

 J5 includes Argelander's stars, from 0° to —2°, for the first seven 

 classes: to complete Class VIII about 3,G00 should be added. The 

 number of stars thus counted in the " Southern Durchmusterung " proper 

 is, therefore, 133,580, and adding to this 79 objects which are classed as 

 uebuUe or variables, there results the grand total, 133,659. 



In order to investigate the influence of the Milky Way on the distri- 

 bution of these stars. Professor Seeliger proceeds, as in liis former 

 paper, to form the " gradient," which expresses for each class the 

 rapidity of increase in the number of stars as we approach the Milky 

 Way. Comparing the values of the gradient with these found for 

 Argelander's Durchmusterung, it is seen that, as far as Schonfeld's 

 work can be considered typical of the southern hemisphere as a whole 

 (it must be remembered, however, that it only embraces one-tbird 

 thereof) the influence of the Milky Way on stellar distribution, at least 

 lor stars down to the eighth magnitude, appears to be less marked lor 

 the southern than for the northern hemisphere. But it may well be 

 that, especially in the higher classesof stars, local aud accidental irreg- 

 ularities are the cause of this apparent difference. With regard to the 

 question as to which hemisphere is the richer in stars, it ap[)ears that 

 there is no decided ditt'erence shown by the two surveys under consider- 

 ation. When Argelander's numbers are corrected so as to be compara- 

 ble with Shoufcld's, taking stars down to the ninth magnitude, inclu- 



