446 



NA TURE 



[March 13, 1890 



the risk of failing to appreciate the importance of external 

 form : they acquired a knowledge of the minute structural 

 details of certain plants, but did not acquire a strong 

 grasp of the external characters of plants as a whole. 

 But the pendulum which thus swung rapidly over to an 

 extreme position is now returning to the mean. While 

 duly appreciating the value of microscopic examination, 

 the younger botanists are awake to the advantage, or 

 even the necessity, of a wide knowledge of plants. The 

 whole area of facts upon which those who are now 

 engaged in teaching draw in the course of their lectures 

 is much wider than it was ten years ago, and the exten- 

 sion has, perhaps, been most marked in the province of 

 external morphology. 



This being so, there will be no need to press upon the 

 men who are starting upon a career as botanists the 

 importance of a visit to the tropics : they will look upon 

 the collections in our Botanic Gardens, which they are 

 hardly allowed to touch, as only a temporary substitute 

 for a tropical jungle, where they may cut down plants 

 as they please, in order to obtain specimens illustrating 

 mature or developmental characters. Moreover, those 

 characters of a tropical flora which are the most striking 

 and characteristic are often those which must remain 

 entirely unrepresented in our glass houses at home. An 

 expedition to the tropics should, in fact, become a recog- 

 nized item in the programme of preparation for a career 

 as a teacher of botany. 



The advantages offered by the Royal Gardens at 

 Peradeniya have already been pointed out in Nature 

 (vol. xxxiv. p. 127) ; but since that article was written 

 steps have been taken by a Committee of the British 

 Association to add to them. Backed by a grant of 

 money, they have undertaken the establishment of a per- 

 manent laboratory in which visitors may carry on their 

 work. A room has been set apart for this purpose in the 

 official bungalow by the directorate of the Royal Garden. 

 It has every advantage of position, being placed centrally 

 in the garden, and within easy reach of the herbarium, 

 &c.; while, since it is under the same roof as the Director's 

 office, visitors would have the great advantage of the 

 presence of Dr. Trimen himself as a referee in recognition 

 of the plants of the rich native flora. In this room are to 

 be found such apparatus and reagents as are ordinarily 

 required for laboratory work, and steps are being taken 

 to add other facilities. 



The mere mention of these facts will probably suffice 

 to attract those who were not previously aware of them. 

 The chief deterrent will be the cost of the journey. It 

 has already been stated that ^200 to ;i^25o will suffice for 

 all expenses of an expedition of six months' duration, 

 while if two club together the individual cost would be 

 considerably smaller. Though the Committee of the 

 British Association have no power to use the money 

 entrusted to them as a personal grant, still it is wc.I 

 known that there are sources from which such grants may 

 be obtained in order to assist those who are engaged on 

 a definite line of research. Bearing all these facts in 

 mind, the value of such an expedition as that to Peradeniya 

 cannot be too strongly urged on those who are about to 

 enter definitely on a career as professed botanists. The 

 widening of view, and opportunity for research, which any 

 man of originality would obtain by it would amply repay 

 him for his expenditure of time and money. Applications 

 for the use of the laboratory, which is at present vacant, 

 should be made to Prof. Bower (University, Glasgow), 

 who is the secretary to the Committee. 



THE ASTRONOMICAL 0BSE:IVAT0RY OF 

 HARVARD COLLEGE. 



PROF. EDWARD C. PICKERING has presented to 

 the Visiting Committee the forty-fourth Annual 

 Report of the Director of the Astronomical Observatory of 



Harvard College. The following are the more important 

 passages : — 



Henry Draper Alemorial. — The first research on the 

 spectrum of over ten thousand of the brighter stars is now 

 nearly completed and is partially in print. The photo- 

 graphs required for the second research on the spectrum 

 of the fainter stars are also nearly complete. The eleven- 

 inch telescope has been in constant use throughout 

 nearly every clear night in photographing the spectrum 

 of the brighter stars. This work is approaching com- 

 pletion for all stars bright enough to be photographed by 

 means of our present appliances, with the large dispersion 

 now employed. Good progress has also been made with 

 the classification of the spectra, and the study of the 

 slight differences in different stars. By the use of an 

 improved process for staining plates with erythrosin, the 

 yellow and green portions of the spectrum, even of the 

 fainter stars, can be advantageously studied. Numerous 

 experiments have been made with a device for measuring 

 the approach and recession of stars, by means of an 

 achromatic prism in front of the object-glass. Several 

 peculiar spectra have been studied, especially that of 

 C Urste Majoris. The periodic doubling of its lines seems 

 to be due to the rotation of two components too close to 

 be distinguished by direct observation. The detection of 

 bright lines in one of the stars in the Pleiades suggests a 

 possible explanation of the legend that seven stars were 

 formerly visible in this group. 



During last spring an expedition was sent to Peru in 

 charge of Mr. S. I. Bailey, assisted by Mr. M. H. Bailey. 

 A station was selected on a mountain about six thousand 

 feet high and about eight miles from Chosica. All 

 supplies for the station, including water, must be carried 

 by mules for this distance. Two frame buildings covered 

 with paper have been erected, one for an observatory, the 

 other for a dwelling-house. Since May 9 the Bache 

 telescope has been kept at work during the whole of 

 every clear night. 1236 photographs have been obtained. 

 The plan proposed will cover the sky south of -15^ four 

 times, once with photographs of spectra having an ex- 

 posure of an hour, which will include stars to about the 

 eighth magnitude ; secondly, with an exposure of ten 

 minutes, giving the brighter stars ; thirdly, with charts 

 having an exposure of one hour, permitting a map of the 

 southern stars to the fourteenth magnitude inclusive ; 

 and fourthly, with charts having an exposure of ten 

 minutes, including stars to about the tenth magnitude. 

 The weather for the first four or five months was ex- 

 cellent, being clear nearly every evening. Fogs and 

 cloud which often covered the adjacent valleys and the 

 city of Lima did not reach to the top of the mountain. 

 The cloudy season is now beginning and the work will 

 be more interrupted. But nearly one-half of the entire 

 programme has already been carried out. A large 

 number of interesting objects have been detected, among 

 others several stars having bright lines in their spectra. 

 Including the photometric work described below, the 

 amount of material so far collected is unexpectedly large. 



Boyde?i Fund. — The climate of Southern California 

 seems especially favourable to the undertaking desired by 

 Mr. Boyden. An expedition under the direction of Prof. 

 William H. Pickering was accordingly sent in November 

 1888 to the summit of Wilson's Peak, in the vicinity of 

 Los Angeles. In order that as much useful work as 

 possible might be accomplished, the thirteen-inch tele- 

 scope and the eight-inch telescope now in Peru were sent 

 to Willows, California, where the total solar eclipse of 

 January i, 1889, was successfully observed. Forty-seven 

 photographs were obtained by the party during the three 

 minutes of totality, and the instrumental equipment was 

 much superior to any previously used for such a purpose. 

 It was not until May 1 1, that the large telescope was suc- 

 cessfully mounted on Wilson's Peak, by Messrs. E. S. 

 King and Robert Black, but since then it has been kept 



