472 



NATURE 



March 17, 1898 



scientific instrument mal*rs. A catalogue just received from 

 Messrs. W. and J. George, Ltd., the successors to the late firm of 

 Becker and Co., contains illustrations and prices of apparatus 

 described in the volumes on practical physics by Schuster and 

 Lee, Stewart and Gee, Watson, and Glazebrook. Similar cata- 

 logues have lately been published by Messrs. Grifiin and Sons and 

 ^Messrs. Philip Harris and Co. It is satisfactory to know that 

 scientific instrument makers are beginning to understand the 

 necessity of producing simple apparatus at a low price, now that 

 students of physical science are expected to gain their knowledge 

 by individual experience, even in the most elementary stages of 

 the subject. What some of them have yet to learn, however, is 

 that the apparatus is not intended as toys, but as a means of 

 obtaining quantitative results ; and unless this end is attainable, 

 the instruments are of little value. 



The annual report for 1896-97 of the Director of the Field 

 Columbian Museum, Chicago, is of interest to curators of 

 museums, and records much progress. It is profusely illustrated 

 by photographs of the rooms, and case-objects. In the division 

 of economic botany, what is called a monographic installation 

 of material exemplifying the North American forest trees is 

 being pursued. The elements of the series comprise a branch, 

 flowers, and fruit from the same tree, a photograph of the tree 

 in summer, and in winter, a seven-foot length of trunk, and 

 transverse section, a two-foot map, coloured to show the dis- 

 tribution of the species, and ornamental cabinet specimens. In 

 the department of zoology the cases have been painted black 

 inside. The report on the expedition and field work is of 

 unusual interest. An account is given of the party which 

 entered Somaliland under Mr. Elliot. He regards the collec- 

 tions made as very valuable, and probably the most important, 

 especially as regards quadrupeds, ever brought out of any country 

 by an expedition. Casts of heads and parts of bodies showing 

 the muscles of the large animals were made, which will prove 

 of the utmost service during mounting. Besides these, over 

 300 photographic negatives are in hand illustrating the scenery, 

 the people, and also the animals, both living and dead. The 

 last-named will be used in conjunction with the casts. It may 

 be noted that the museum mostly does its own printing. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Prairie Marmots {Cynomys ludoviciamis) 

 from North America, presented by ^Ir. J. Maurice Glyn ; a 

 Spotted Ichneumon {Herpestes auropunctatiis) from Nepal, pre- 

 sented by the Rev. Sidney Vatcher ; a Great Eagle Owl [Bubo 

 moximus), European, presented by Captain Betram Goff ; two 

 Indian Chevrotaints ( Tragulus memitina, <J <J ) from India, a 

 Mantell's Apteryx (Apteryx mantelli), an Owen's Apteryx 

 {Apteryx oweni) from New Zealand, two Cardinal Grosbeaks 

 {Cardiitalis virginianus) from North America, eight Undulated 

 Glass Parrakeets {Melopsittacus tiudulatiis) from Australia, a 

 Brown Gannet {Siila leucogastra) from South America, a Black 

 \jaxY\Melanocorypha yeltoniensis, S ) from Siberia, four Chinese 

 Quails {Coturiiix chinensis) from China, a Black Woodpecker 

 (Picus mai'tms), a Solitary Thrush {Monticola cyanus), 

 European, purchased ; a Leopard {Felts pardiis), born in the 

 Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Constant of Aberration.— Prof. C. L. Doolittle, from 

 observations made at the Flower Observatory of the University 

 of Pennsylvania, contributes a paper on this subject to the 

 Astr. Jour. 428. He states ' ' that in view of the present interest 

 in the values of the astronomical constants, the investigation is 

 published earlier than was intended. The result is preliminary 

 in the sense that it is derived from a limited amount of material, 

 which will ultimately be combined with other data." 



NO. 1 48 1 VOL. 57] 



Kiistner's method was employed, and he obtains a result of 

 20" "572 + o""oo9, which is even larger than his recent deduction 

 of 2o""55 from his South Bethlehem observation. 



Since the adoption, then, of 2o'''47 at the Paris Conference, 

 the four most recent deductions all give higher values, viz. 20" '55 

 (Doolittle), 2o"-533 (Fergola), 2o''*57 (Finlay), and 20"572 

 (Doolittle). 



Winnecke's Comet {a 1898). — This comet will make its 

 perihelion passage in a few days — March 20. In Astr. Nach., 

 No. 3480, Dr. Hillebrand publishes a continuation of the 

 ephemeris, which shows that the comet is on the borders of 

 Aquarius and Capricornus, having passed between a and ^ 

 Capricorni some few days ago. It is moving slowly in an 

 easterly direction, but is badly placed for observation ; so that it 

 is unlikely to be seen again in ordinary telescopes until its next 

 return in 1904. 



New Variable Stars — We learn from the Astronomical 

 Journal, No. 428, that the variability of the star S.D.M. 

 — 20° "2007, announced by Mr. Perry in No. 398 of thsLt Journal, 

 has been confirmed by Mr. Parkhurst, and in consequence the 

 definite notation 2689 Z Puppis has been assigned to it. 



The star in Gemini, announced as variable by Mr. Anderson 

 in Astr. Nach. 3463, has also been confirmed by Mr. Parkhurst, 

 and accordingly it has been called 2404 X Geminorum. ■ • 



Astronomical Serials. — The Berliner Astronoviisches 

 fahrbuch for 1900 has recently been issued, under the editorship} 

 as before, of Prof. Bauschinger, Director of the Rechen-Institut 

 at Berlin, It contains particulars of the solar eclipse which will 

 occur on May 28 of that year, and will be visible as total in the 

 States of Georgia and South Carolina. Leaving North America 

 the shadow band crosses the Atlantic, and strikes Europe on the 

 coast of Portugal near Oporto, passing over Spain and Algeria, 



The Jahrbuch contains the elements of all the small planets up 

 to No. 425, which was discovered December 28, 1896, by M. 

 Charlois ; also opposition elements of a selected number. 



The data and arrangement are the same generally as in previous 

 years, but some important changes are contemplated in the 

 planetary table for future years. 



In the Bulletin de la SoMti Astronomique for this month there 

 are several reproductions of the partial eclipse of the moon which 

 took place on January 7. The photographs illustrating the 

 various phases were taken by MM. (^uenisset and Touchet; one 

 at maximum is from a negative taken by M. Rudaux. 



In the sz.me Journal there is a summary of Prof. Schiaparelli's 

 fifth " Memoir on Mars," containing his observations made 

 during the opposition in 1886. The author has not given a 

 general chart of the planet for this year, but his observations of 

 1886 happily complete our aerographical knowledge, by a 

 rigorous examination of the north-polar region. A fine chart 

 illustrating this region accompanies the paper, together with 

 various aspects of the planet on different dates. 



Five instantaneous photographs of Jupiter are also reproduced 

 from photographs taken by Prof. Barnard at the Lick Observatory 

 with the 36-inch telescope. 



THE SPITSBERGEN GLACIERS. 



(~\N Monday last Sir W. Martin Conway delivered a lecture 

 before the Royal Geographical Society, in which he 

 described the principal results of his second expedition to 

 Spitsbergen, undertaken in conjunction with Mr. E. J. Gar- 

 wood, in July and August 1897. It will be remembered that 

 in the previous summer Sir Martin Conway,, with several com- 

 panions, for the first time explored, with any thoroughness, 

 certain parts of the interior of the main island of Spitsbergen, 

 throwing much new light on the physical features of the island 

 and their mode of origin. In that year the principal attention 

 was directed to the country south of Ice Fiord, between it and 

 Bell Sound, the result being to show that this region was by 

 no means the ice-clad country it had previously been con- 

 sidered. The principal object of last year's expedition was to 

 examine a new section of the interior, north of Ice Fiord, which 

 was still believed by some to be, covered with an ice-sheet 

 similar to that found in Greenland. Two districts in particular 

 were chosen as the field of operations, the one (named by the 

 lecturer Garwood Land) occupying the area between the ex- 

 tremities of Wijde Bay and Ice Fiord in the west and the sea 

 in the east ; the other lying west of the line joining the heads 



