ASTRONOMY. 103 



notes at the end of the catalogue are given the larger proper motions 

 resulting from a comparison of the Catalogue for 1880 with the " Cape 

 Catalogue for 1840," and Taylor's " Subsidiary Catalogue for 1850." In 

 the catalogue the mean time of observation is given for all the stars, 

 but in forming the mean positions the proper motion has only been 

 applied in the comparatively few cases where the proper motion is 

 given in the body of the catalogue. The latter contains, in separate 

 columns, references to Piazzi, Brisbane, Fallows, Johnson, Henderson, 

 Taylor, Cape 1810, Cape 18G0, and Melbourne 1870, and in foot-notes 

 other references, as also corrections to previous catalogues, and remarks 

 .about duplicity, false positions, etc. Lacaille's numbers are given in the 

 second column next to the current number of the catalogue. The con- 

 stellations occupy the third column ; Lacaille's system of nomenclature 

 is used with the modifications proposed by Sir J. Herschel. The im- 

 portance of this great work can hardly be overestimated. Valuable as 

 the two previously published Cape Catalogues and Melbourne Catalogue 

 for 1870 are, they cannot compare with it either as regards extent or 

 completeness, and when it is remembered how uncertain the foundation 

 is on which Lacaille's zones rest, and how poor and unreliable the Bris- 

 bane Catalogue is, it will be conceded by everybody that Mr. Stone's 

 Catalogue will be an inestimable treasure for future generations, the 

 value of which will contiinie to increase. As remarked by its author, 

 the catalogue may also render good assistance in investigations on 

 special stars occurring in Lacaille's and Brisbane's Catalogues, or even 

 in completely new re-reductions of the observations on which these cata- 

 logues are founded. 



"Catalogue of 1008 Standard Clock and Zodiacal Stars, prepared 

 under the direction of Simon Newcomb" (papers prepared for the use of 

 the American Ephemeris, No. 4, 1C2 pp., 4to). This catalogue was pre- 

 pared for the purpose of obtaining standard jiositions of reference stars for 

 use in the lunar and planetary theories, especially in the reduction of the 

 older occultations. It contains all the standard stars of the Ephemeris 

 (except most of those added for field work), and all stars to the sixth mag- 

 nitude inclusive, which can be occulted by the moon, together with stars 

 below the sixth magnitude observed by Bradley. The author was able to 

 use Auwers' reduction of Bradley. The declinations of the catalogue are 

 reduced to Mr. Boss' system, which was only modified so far as to sub- 

 stitute Auwers' reduction of Bradley for that of Bcssel. In the case of 

 stars within 80'^ of t^ae pole, the right ascensions were not independently 

 investigated, but were taken from Dr. Gould's Catalogue (second edition), 

 while the declinations are those of Mr. Boss. The catalogue gives, in 

 the case of the stars observed by Bradley, the positions and other data 

 for the two epochs 1755 and 1850, while in the case of fundamental time- 

 stars the positions are also given for 1,900. Stars between 10^ and 30c> 

 from the pole have data-given for the epochs 1755, 1800, 1850, and 1900, 

 and stars still nearer the i)ole also for 1825 and 1875. The precessions 

 S. Mis. 109 13 



