March 27, 1890] 



NATURE 



497 



(4) This is a star of Group IV., showing several fine metallic 

 lines in addition to those of hydrogen. The usual observations 

 are required. 



(5) The spectrum of this star is a fine one of Group VI. The 

 usual carbon bands are wide and dark, and the subsidiary bands 

 4 and 5 are perfectly well seen (Duner). It seems probable 

 that favourable conditions of observation, which, unfortunately, 

 are not common for low stars in our latitude, may reveal other 

 secondary bands. 



(6) This is another variable star of which the spectrum has 

 apparently not been recorded. The period as determined by 

 Baxendell is 121 '4 days, and the magnitudes at maximum and 

 minimum are 9*2 and io'2 respectively. The maximum will be 

 reached about April 5. (This is Baxendell's V Bootis.)*^ 



A. Fowler. 



Charles Marie Valentin Montigny. — It is with regret 

 that we have to announce the death of Prof Montigny, at 

 Schaerbeek, on the i6th inst. Prof Montigny was born on 

 January 8, 1819, and was a member of the Royal Academy of 

 Belgium, Astronomical Correspondent of Brussels Observatory, 

 an officer of the Order of Leopold, and decorated with the 

 civil cross of the first class. He is best known for his interesting 

 researches on the scintillation of stars, which form the subject- 

 matter of a series of papers communicated to the Brussels 

 Academy. In the January number of Himmel und Erde 

 :i long description is given of the results of Montigny's ob- 

 servations, and the instrument he devised and used for the 

 determination of the amount of scintillation on different 

 nights, and for the same stars at different altitudes. It is 

 well known that if a scintillating star is observed by means 

 of an opera-glass or small telescope, and the instrument 

 tapped, the star appears to move and not the instrument ; if the 

 instrument is kept vibrating, the star will appear to move in a 

 closed curve, along which different colours repeat themselves. 

 The scintillometer devised by the late Prof Montigny for in- 

 vestigating these appearances consisted of a small disk which 

 could be whirled round in front of the eye-piece so that the star 

 appeared to describe a circle in the field of the telescope. The 

 circumference of this circle was made up of a regular sequence of 

 colours, of which blue, yellow, and red were predominant. If 

 the rate of motion of the disk be known, then by counting the 

 number of times the colours were repeated the number of changes 

 of colour a second may be found. All the causes affecting the 

 scintillation of stars were investigated, and the relation of the 

 amount to the character of the spectrum, the state of the atmo- 

 sphere, and the colour of the star, made the subject of inquiry. 

 The results obtained by means of this ingenious instrument are 

 important, and the whole work on scintillation done by the 

 deceased astronomer stands as a fitting monument to his memory. 



An Observatory at Madagascar. — A new Observatory 

 has been established at Tananarivo under the direction of the 

 Jesuit fathers, and with the concurrence of the French Govern- 

 ment. The site chosen is a hill a short distance to the east of 

 the town, and about 4400 feet above sea-level, making the 

 Observatory one of the highest in the world. It already pos- 

 sesses an equatorial, a meridian instrument, and all necessary 

 apparatus for meteorological observations ; and a photographic 

 telescope will shortly be provided for solar observations. 



THE ADMINISTRATION OF FOREIGN 

 FISHERIES. 



'T'HE following notes ^ were drawn up at the request of the 

 late Lord Dalhousie just before he became seriously ill. The 

 failure of his health and his absence from home — before the sad 

 bereavement and shock which terminated in his death — prevented 

 him perusing them, though the substance of much that appears 

 in the subsequent pages formed the theme of several conversa- 

 tions with him. His familiarity with the sea, his wide know- 

 ledge of the fisheries, his upright and generous bearing, and his 

 sound judgment, would undoubtedly, if he had been spared, have 

 been of infinite service to the Department (which, probably, 

 sooner or later, he would have reorganized very thoroughly). No 

 greater loss, indeed, has happened to the fisheries in recent 

 times. 



For information on various points relating to the subject, I have to thank 

 Profs. Alex. Agassiz, Hubrecht, Mobius, Lovdn, and G. O. Sars, Herr von 

 Behr, Drs. Anton Dohrn, Lindeman, Nansen^ and Sauvage ; while Mr. Hoyle 

 Kindly aided me with thi Norwegian statistics. 



The United States Fish Commission is managed by a 

 Director, who is more or less autocratic and irresponsible ; 

 though in the case of the late Prof Baird the Americans were 

 extremely fortunate in having a Director possessed of great 

 administrative power and tact, and who never utilized the re- 

 sources at his disposal for personal display or advancement. 

 However able this Director may be, the system has its dis- 

 advantages, and is less suitable than a mixed Commission of men 

 of position, who would have an opportunity of expressing their 

 views as to the work to be carried out. Moreover, the American 

 plan is less safe than a responsible head — that is, a chief under 

 the control of a Board or Commission of those who are not 

 necessarily specially skilled. It is possible, indeed, that, as the 

 fisheries are at present administered in the United States, a con- 

 siderable expenditure of money and of time annually takes place, 

 which under other methods might be curtailed. The practical 

 advances made by the Americans have in the main been confined 

 to the fresh-water fisheries — that is, the propagation of the 

 salmon-tribe, carp, and other fluviatile and lacustrine forms. 

 The Marine Department has not yet succeeded in making any 

 noteworthy improvement in sea-fisheries, though much money 

 has been spent, and a large Annual Report is regularly issued. 

 This Report contains not only the work accomplished by the staff 

 of the Department, but reprints and translations of papers relating 

 to the fisheries of other countries. There is, therefore, a wide 

 difference between the condition in this country (where the 

 observations connected with the fisheries have often to be pub- 

 lished by Societies or independent journals) and the lavish 

 expenditure on the other side of the Atlantic, 



In France, again, the management of the fisheries is exclu- 

 sively vested in the Minister of Marine at the Bureau des 

 Peches. At the head is a Director charged by the State with 

 the inspection of the fisheries. For the scientific study of the 

 questions pertaining to the marine fisheries the chief station is 

 at Boulogne — though the Minister of Agriculture, under whom the 

 station was constructed, also gave a small subsidy to the 

 Zoological Laboratory at Villefranche (Alpes Maritimes) for the 

 study of d iverse questions concerning fishes and oys ters — and this 

 was founded by a subsidy from the town and the Chamber of 

 Commerce. The advances made by M. Coste and others in the 

 fresh-water fisheries of France are too well known to need further 

 attention. France is fortunate in having a series of excellent 

 marine laboratories, at which considerable advances have 

 already been made in regard to the food-fishes, and in 

 collateral scientific subjects. The names of MM. Lacaze 

 Duthiers, Giard, Marion, Barrois, Pouchet, Sauvage, and others, 

 are sufficient guarantees that the work of the fisheries and 

 connate subjects will be worthily carried out. 



In Norway there is no special Fishery Board, but the 

 Governmental Department of the Interior manages both the 

 marine and fresh- water fisheries. As yet only a general inspector 

 for the latter has been appointed at a fixed salary. For each of 

 the more important marine fisheries, however, a so-called 

 opsynschef 'vi engaged by the Government, to see to the adminis- 

 tration of justice during the time the fishery is going on. More- 

 over, an annual grant of 16, coo kr. is granted to the Society for 

 the Advancement of Norwegian Fisheries in Bergen. The aims 

 of this Society, which has various branches in towns along the 

 coast, are chiefly practical, such as the improvement of fishing 

 implemefits, the most suitable and successful preparation of the 

 fishery products, and other features. It also has a special 

 department for the artificial hatching of the food-fishes, in con- 

 nection with the laboratory at Arendal, on the southern coast. 

 The expenses of this establishment are partly borne by the 

 Society just mentioned, and partly by private subscription. It is 

 at this laboratory that M. Dannevig has done so much good 

 work in the artificial rearing of cod, oysters, and lobsters, in the 

 former case having succeeded in keeping the fishes till the end 

 of the second year, and when of considerable size](i4-i6 inches). 

 For strictly scientific investigations in connection with the 

 marine fisheries the Storthing grants an annual sum of 4800 

 kr. These investigations have for many years been chiefly 

 carried out by Prof G. O. Sars, whose observations on the 

 Lofoten cod-fisheries, and the development of the cod, are well 

 known and justly esteemed, while, as a worthy son of a dis- 

 tinguished father, he has in other departments of zoology 

 contributed largely to our knowledge. Other naturalists have 

 also been engaged in the work, chiefly in regard to the herring- 

 fisheries. Prof Sars, moreover, with a view of protecting the 

 marine fisheries, has to report on every contrivance proposed, 



