4^ 



NATO RE 



[Marcii io, 1898 



The first two numbers of the new volume of the Mittheiltihgen 

 •of the Vienna Geographical Society are devoted to a memoir on 

 the Hallstatter See, by Dr. Lorenz, Ritter von Liburnau, which 

 •extends to over 200 octavo pages. The form and position of the 

 lake are discussed, chemical analyses are given of its waters and 

 of the waters of the inflowing streams, and there are elaborate 

 investigations into the distribution of temperature at different 

 depths and at dififerent seasons, into currents, transparency and 

 colour of water, and the various forms of life. Dr. Lorenz had 

 the assistance of a large number of colleagues in making his 

 •observations, and was fortunate in having a steam launch placed 

 at his disposal free of cost. 



Petermann s Mittheilungen contains an account of a recent 

 expedition into the interior of Dutch East Borneo by Dr. A. W. 

 INieuwenhuis. The region between the upper basins of the 

 Kapuas and the Kutei or Mahakam rivers was not visited by 

 the Dutch expedition of 1894, owing to the supposed hostility of 

 the natives ; but by judicious treatment and selection of native 

 ■Companions, Dr. Nieuwenhuis has succeeded in exploring a con- 

 siderable area. A stay of eight months was made at a station 

 on the Bloeoe, a small right-bank tributary of the Mahakam, 

 giving opportunity for detailed topographical and geological 

 surveys. ' 'Extensive collfections were made, which have reached 

 Buitenzorg in safety. 



In descending the Niger, the Hourst Expedition found the 

 navigation of that river impeded by rapids from Ansongo to 

 ■below Boussa. As this was during the season of high water, 

 M. le Lieut, de Chevigne was detailed in May 1897 to make 

 a further reconnaissance when the river was at its lowest. The 

 results of his observations are published in the Comptes rendus 

 ■of the Paris Geographical Society, and are described as of 

 special importance on account of a French station having been 

 recently established at Say. The Niger is to be considered as 

 iiavigable from Timbuktu to Ansongo, but only during high 

 water ; below Ansongo, rocky shallows and rapids render navi- 

 gation difficult at all seasons, and dangerous, if not impossible, 

 for nine months in the year. 



In the Bulletin of the Imperial Society of Naturalists of 

 Moscow, No. 2 for 1897, is a lengthy and important paper 

 (in German) by C. Sokolowa, on the growth of root-hairs 

 and rhizoids. He appears to have come to the conclusion 

 that neither the growth of the cell-wall nor the currents in 

 the protoplasm are directly dependent on the cell-nucleus, 

 although the position of the nucleus appears to a certain 

 extent to determine the direction of the currents. N. Mali- 

 scheff contributes some remarks on the nerve-endings in the 

 cpsophagus and stomach of birds. The remaining papers are 

 in Russian. 



Dr. F. von Kerner publishes a short account of some recent 

 geological work on the coast regions of Dalmatia in the Ver- 

 handlungen of the Austrian Geological Survey. The peninsula 

 of Ostrica, the island of Zlarin, and a number of the neighbour- 

 ing rocky islets were surveyed, disclosing some features of 

 .geological and geographical interest. The islands together form 

 part of the submerged lower course of the river Kerka. 



At the recent Ithaca meeting, the Association of American 

 Anatomists adopted the report of the majority of the Committee 

 ■on Anatomical Nomenclature, and ordered it to be published and 

 .4istributed as soon as practicable, accompanied by the objections 

 of the minority of the Committee, and comments thereon by the 

 Secretary of the Committee. Of the neural terms recommended, 

 more than, 100 were identical with those adopted in 1895 by the 

 Anatomische Gesellschaft. 



With reference to our pote on M. J. Deniker' papers on the 

 ■characteristics of the inhabitants of the various districts of 

 Europe (p. 351-2), the author writes to correct an error which 



NO. 1480. VOL. 57] 



Uhfortunalely crept into his paper. In our note, p. 352, line 14, 

 the race "(6) Blond, mesocephalic, very short," should be 

 ascribed to Saxony-Poland instead of Sweden. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Masked Paradoxure {Paradoxure larratus)t 

 a Large Indian Civet ( Viverra zib'.tha) from Western Szechuen, 

 China, presented by Mr. Julius Newmann ; three Punjaub Wild 

 'Siti^Q^ {Ovis viptei, cJ 9 9 ) from Southern Persia, deposited ; 

 a Common Seal {Shoca vitulina) from Holland, an Indian 

 River Snake {Tropidonotus piscator) hotn India, purchased ; a 

 Leopard {Felis pardiis), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



OccuLiATiON OF Antares. — The occultation of a star of 

 the first magnitude is of rare occurrence, more especially when 

 the moon is at such a favourable age as in the case of the occulta- 

 tion of Antares (o Scorpii) magnitude Ii, on March 13, when 

 the moon is in the last quarter. The times of disappearance at 

 the bright edge and reappearance at the dark edge, as given in 

 ihi^ Nautical Almanac, for Greenwich are I4h. 38m. os. ,and I5h. 

 49m. OS ; and the angles at which these respective phenomena 

 take place are 111° and 305°, measured from the vertex. The 

 occultation of this beautiful red star is a most interesting observ- 

 ation, especially at the favourable phase of the moon, which 

 should render the doubling of Antares easily visible. It was 

 during an occultation that Burg discovered the celebrated blue 

 companion in 1819. 



Nautical Almanac, 1901. — The Nautical Almanac for the 

 year 1901 has just been issued. It is arranged in a similar way 

 to those now familiar to us, and from it we learn the details of 

 the total eclipse of the sun which takes place in that year on 

 May 17. The path of the shadow passes over Sumatra, Borneo, 

 Celebes, and the southern part of New Guinea ; the eclipse will 

 also be visible in Australia, but only as a large partial one, whilst 

 in Europe and America no trace of it can be observed. This 

 eclipse is remarkable for being one in which the duration of 

 totality is nearly the longest possible, the maximum obscuration 

 of the sun lasting about six and a half minutes. 



We notice also that in accordance with the decision of the 

 Paris Conference on Fundamental Stars, held in May 1896, the 

 constants of precession, nutation, aberration and solar parallax, 

 as set forth at that meeting, have been adopted. The new value 

 for the solar parallax is, therefore, 8" 'So instead of 8" '848, and 

 this is probably correct to within o"'02. 



Part I. of the Almanac is issued separately, as of late years, 

 and contains such information as is essential to navigators. 



Variable Star U Pegasi.— In a recent issue of Nature, 

 p. 352, we noted Mr. O. C. Wendell's observations of the 

 short-period variable, made at the Harvard College Observatory, 

 and the results of which were issued by Prof Pickering in 

 Circular No. 23. In the Astronomical Journal, No. 426, Mr. 

 Chandler brings data together to show that the light curve is, as 

 was originally laid down, of single period, and not analogous to 

 that of /3 Lyrse, with a small difference of 015 mag. between 

 the primary and secondary minima. He also points out that the 

 polarising photometer failed to make manifest the secondary 

 minimum of the star Z Herculis, a phenomenon involving a 

 difference of nearly 05 mag., or three times the amount in 

 question. 



In Circular No. 25 (on polarising photometers), Prof. Picker- 

 ing points out that the objections to the first form of photometer 

 have been remedied, and now the emergent pencils of the 

 images compared coincide, and a surprising degree of accuracy 

 may be obtained in the measures, which is illustrated by 

 numbers from actual observations. He also gives the individual 

 results derived from Mr. Wendell's observations, and these show 

 that the largest value of the secondary minimum is o 05 mag. 

 less than the smallest value of the primary minimum. Besides 

 this he shovys.that if the minima be assumed to be equal, the 

 residuals at first minimum have a mean value of -f 0*064, and at 

 the second the mean value is - 0070. He concludes that "the 

 probability, therefoire, that the two minima are really equal and 

 that these deviations are due to accidental error is extremely 

 small ; and it is very singular that if these deviations are due to 

 systematic error, that it has one value at principal minimum and 

 another at secondary minimum." 



