April 17, 1890] 



NATURE 



571 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Black-eared Marmoset {Ha(>ale penicillata) 

 from South-east Brazil, presented by Mr. J. A. Watson, F.Z.S ; 

 a'Lesser White-nosed Monkey {Cercopithecus petaurisia $ ) from 

 West Africa, presented by Mr. E. B. Parfitt ; a Macaque 

 Monkey {Macacus cynomolgus ? ) from India, presented by 

 Mrs. H. F. Batt ; a Sambur Deer {Cervus aristotelis i ) from 

 India, presented by Capt. George James ; a Common Badger 

 {Meles taxus, white variety), British, presented by the Hon. 

 Morton North ; a Jackdaw {Corvus monedula), British, pre- 

 sented by Mrs. Bowden ; a Blessbok {Alcelaphus albifrons i ) 

 from South Africa, four Undulated Grass Parrakeets {Melo- 

 psittactis undulatus 2 cJ 2 9 ) from Australia, deposited ; an 

 Australian Crane {Grus aitstralasiana), two Chestnut-eared 

 Finches {Amadina casianoHs) from Australia, three European 

 Flamingoes (Phcxnicopterus antiquorum), four Great Bustards 

 {Otis tarda), European, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Objects for the Spectroscope. 



Sidereal Time at Greenwich at 10 p.m. on April 17 = 

 lih. 43m. 5Ss. 



Remarks. 



(i) This large white nebula is situated in the constellation of 

 Ursa Major, and is thus described in the General Catalogue : — 

 " Very bright, very large, suddenly brighter in the middle to a 

 nucleus." According to Smyth, it is oval in shape, the lateral 

 edges being better defined than the ends. Lord Rosse's tele- 

 scope showed it to be much mottled. In 1866 Dr. Huggins 

 described its spectrum as continuous, with " a suspicion of 

 unusual brightness about the middle part." No observations of 

 the spectrum appear to have been made since then, but it is im- 

 portant that it should be re-examined. The spectra of the white 

 nebuljE are usually almost entirely wanting in red light, and it is 

 therefore quite possible that the brightening in the middle is 

 nothing more than the green carbon fluting near A517. Direct 

 comparisons with the spectrum of a spirit-lamp flame would 

 soon decide this point. In any case, if there be one or more 

 brightenings, some attempt should be made to determine their 

 positions. 



(2) The spectrum of this star has not yet been completely 

 described. Secchi stated that it was of the type of o Orionis, 

 and Duner states that it is most probably a star of Group XL, 

 but very feebly developed. As I have previously pointed out, it 

 is these "feebly developed" stars of Group II. which require 

 further examination rather than those which are described as 

 "fully developed," as they are piobably transition stages between 

 Groups I. and II., or Groups II. and III. 



(3) According to Konkoly, this star has a well-developed 

 spectrum of the solar type. Differential observations as to 

 whether the star belongs to Group III. or to Group V. are 

 required. (For criteria so far determined, see p. 20.) 



(4) The spectrum of this star is a very fine one of Group IV. 

 The usual observations are required. 



(5) D'Arrest and Duner both describe the spectrum of this 

 star as a magnificent one of Group VI. According to Duner, 

 the principal bands are very dark, and the subsidiary bands 

 4 and 5 are well visible, while the bands i, 2, 3 are very weak. 

 He also states that the spectrum is rendered unique by the fact 

 that the least refrangible part of the sub-zone in the yellow is 

 considerably weaker than the other. Further observations, as 

 previously suggested for similar stars, should be made. 



(6) This star affords another opportunity of searching for 



bright lines in the spectrum of a variable of Group II. near 

 maximum. Vogel states that the spectrum is a fine one of 

 Group II., but we have as yet no detailed description of the 

 bands present. The period of the variable is about 207 days, 

 and it ranges in magnitude from 7 •7-8*1 at maximum to- 

 I2'2-I2'8 at minimum. The maximum will occur on April 21, 

 but as Mr. Espin has noticed that the bright lines sometimes do 

 not appear until after the maximum, it will be desirable to con- 

 tinue the observations for some days after. The variations of 

 the bright carbon flutings should also receive attention. 



A. Fowler. 



Comet Brooks {a 1890). — The following elements have been 

 computed by Dr. Bidschof, of the Imperial Observatory, Vienna, 

 from observations at Cambridge, U.S., March 21 ; Vienna^ 

 March 4 and 28 {Astr. Nach., No. 2962): — 



T = 1890 June 3*6399 Berlin mean time. 



0, = 71 7*5 

 a = 320 44*9 

 I = 121 17 2 

 log q = 0*27189 



Mean Eq. 1890*0. 



Ephevuris for Bertin Midnight. 



1890. 



R.A 



Decl. I 1890. 



R.A. 



Decl. 



New Variable in C^lum. — Prof. Pickering, in a com- 

 munication to Astr. Nack., No. 2962, notes that an examination 

 of a plate taken by Mr. S. J. Bailey at the Closica station in 

 Peru, shows that the G and h lines of hydrogen are bright in 

 the spectrum of a star whose position for 1875 ^^ R.A. 4h. 

 36*2m., Decl. - 38° 29'. An inspection of photographic chart 

 plates indicates that the star is variable, and its spectrum seems 

 to place it in the same class as o Ceti, R Hydrae, R Leonis, 

 and other long-period variables. The date on which the plate 

 was taken is not given, but it is observed that the spectrum is as 

 bright photographically as that of Cordoba Catalogue No. 1077,. 

 which is of the magnitude l\, and since the former is a red star, 

 it was probably much brighter visually. Eye observations at 

 Cambridge, U.S., on February 20 and 21 of this year show that 

 the star was then about magnitude 105. It seems, therefore, 

 that the bright lines of hydrogen were photographed in the 

 spectrum of this object when it was near a maximum. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



The Council of the Royal Geographical Society met on 

 Monday, and finally decided upon the awards of the honours 

 for the year. One of the Royal Medals has been awarded to 

 Emin Pasha, in recognition of the services rendered by him to 

 geography and the allied sciences by his explorations and 

 researches in the countries east, west, and south of the Upper 

 Nile during his administration of the Equatorial Province of 

 Egypt. The other Royal Medal has been awarded to Lieut. F. 

 E. Younghusband, for his journey across Central Asia in 1886- 

 87, from Manchuria and Pekin viA Hami and Kashgar, and 

 over the Mushtagh to Cashmere and India, a distance of 7000 

 miles. The Cuthbert Peek grant has been awarded to Mr. E. 

 C. Hare for his observations on the physical geography of 

 Tanganyika made during his many years' residence on that lake. 

 The Murchison grant has been awarded to Signor Vittoria Sella, 

 in consideration of his recent journey in the Caucasus, and the 

 advance made in our knowledge of the physical characteristics 

 and the topography of the chain by means of his series of 

 panoramic photographs taken above the snow level. The G ilk 



