May 10, 1888] 



NATURE 



43 



Ayrton, F. R.S. ; Experimental Mechanics, by Prof. Henrici 

 F.R. S. ; the Principles of Bread-making, by William Iago ; 

 Photography, by Capt. Abney, F.R.S. ; Mathematical and 

 Surveying Instruments, by Arthur Thomas Walmisley ; Gas 

 Manufacture, by Lewis T. Wright ; the Application of Modern 

 Geometry to the Cutting of Solids for Masonry and other 

 Technical Arts, by Lawrence Harvey ; and the Craft of the 

 Carpenter, by John Slater. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Long-eared Bats {Plecotus auritus), from 



Cornwall, presented by Mr. F. A. Allchin ; a ■ Roe 



Wapreolus ? ), from Corea, presented by Mr. F. Harston 



Eagles ; two Burrowing Owls {Speotyto cunicularid), from 

 Buenos Ayres, presented by Mr. J. Clark Hawkshaw ; a Blue 

 and Yellow Macaw {Ara ararauna), from Para, presented by 

 Mrs. Yarrow ; two Crested Ducks {Anas cristatus), from the 

 Falkland Islands, presented by Mr. F. E. Co'>b, C.M.Z.S. ; an 

 Asp Viper ( Vipera aspis), from Italy, presented by Messrs. 

 Paul and Co. ; a Common Viper ( Vipera berns), from Burnham 

 Beeches, presented by Mr. F. M. Oldham ; two Japanese Deer 

 (Cerzi/s sika £ £ ), from Japan ; a Macaque Monkey (Macacus 

 cynomolgus £ ), from India, a Vulpine Phalanger {Phalangista 

 vulpina £ ), from Australia, two Burrowing Owls {Speotyto 

 cuniailaria), from Buenos Ayres, deposited ; a Spotted Cavy 

 {Ca-logcnys paca), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



New Minor Planets. — Herr Palisa, at Vienna, discovered 

 a new minor planet, No. 276, on April 17, and M. Charlois, at 

 Nice, discovered a second, No. 277, on May 3, the sixty-fourth 

 and third discoveries respectively of the two astronomers. No. 

 273 has been named Atropos. 



Comet 1888 a (Sawerthal). — The following ephemeris 

 {Dun Echt Circular, No. 155) is in continuation of that given in 

 Nature, vol. xxxvii. p. 520 : — 



For Greenwich Midnight. 

 1888. R.A. Decl. Log a. Log r. Bright- 



h m «. - ness. 



31 39-8 N. 



3 2 337 



33 25 8 



34 16-1 



35 47 



35 517 



36 372 



37 2I - 2 



38 3 '9 



38 45'3 



39 25-6 



0-2242 

 0-2360 

 0-2470 

 02572 

 0-2666 



0-1003 OI 4 



- I2 



O'll 



0-1566 



0-1738 



009 



008 



0-2752 0-1904 007 



The brightness at discovery is taken as unity. 



Cincinnati Zone Catalogue.— No. 9 of the Publications 

 of the Cincinnati Observatory contains a zone catalogue of 

 4050 stars observed during 1885, 1886, and the early part of 

 1887 with the 3-inch transit instrument of the Observatory, made 

 by Buff and Berger. The region covered by the zones is from 

 S. Decl. 18 50' to S. Decl. 22° 20', most of the stars down 

 to mag. 8-5 having been observed, besides a considerable number 

 of fainter ones. A low power was employed, so as to give a 

 field of 50' in breadth, and as the zones were taken 15' apart, 

 each star was thus usually observed in three zones. The 

 R.A.'s were deduced from transits, recorded on a chrono- 

 graph, over a system of five vertical wires ; the declinations, from 

 bisections by a micrometer wire, two readings being taken for 

 each star whenever practicable. The probable error of a single 

 observation was found to be R. A. ± 0-123$., Decl. ± i"'84, 

 the observations being a little rougher than could have been 

 desired, in consequence of the low magnifying power used. An 

 important portion of the work has been the comparison of 

 the resulting places with those for the same stars in earlier cata- 

 logues, and a considerable number of errata in Lalande's, La- 

 mont's, and other catalogues have been detected. A list of 



seventy-five proper motions, nearly all of them new, is likewise 

 added. 



Publications of Lick Observatory. — The first volume 

 of the Publications of the Lick Observatory has been received. 

 It is chiefly occupied with the details of the progress of the insti- 

 tution from the date of Mr. Lick's first deed of trust, 1874, and 

 with the description of the smaller instruments, the great 

 refractor being reserved for a future volume. Meteorological 

 observations taken on Mount Hamilton from 1880 to 1885, and 

 reduction tables for the Observatory occupy a large part of the 

 volume. Amongst the most interesting reports are those of 

 Prof. Newcomb, on the glass for the great objective ; of Mr. 

 Burnham, on Mount Hamilton as an observing station ; and of 

 Prof. Todd, on the transit of Venus, 1882. A report on the 

 structure of the mountain is also given by Profs. Irving and 

 Jackson. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1888 MAY 13-19. 



/"C*OR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

 *■*• Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 

 is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on May 13 



Sunrises, 4I1. 12m.; souths, Iih. 56m. 97s. ; sets, 19I1. 40m. : 



right asc. on meridian, 3I1. 22 8m. ; decl. 1 8° 34' N. 

 Sidereal Time at Sunset, iih. 8m. 



Moon (at First Quarter May 18, 23b.) rises, 5I1. 58m. ; 



souths, I3h. 54m. ; sets, 2lh. 57m. 

 5V1. 21 -2m. ; decl. 19 46' N. 



right asc. on meridian, 



* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening and the setting 

 that of the following morning. 



Occultaiions 0/ Stars by the Moon (visible at Greenwich). 



Corresponding 



angles from ver- 



May. Star. Mag. Disap. Reap. tex to right for 



inverted image. 

 h. in. h. m. o o 



... 21 48 near approach 212 - 



15 .. 



16 .. 



May. 



15 

 16 



61 Geminorum , 

 d' Cancri ... 

 h. 



23 5 



23 45 



74 337 



Mercury at least distance from the Sun. 

 Saturn in conjunction with and 0° 42' north 

 of the Moon. 



Variable Stars. 



Star. 



U Cephei ... 

 ( Geminorum 

 U Hydne ... 

 W Virginis ... 

 R Draconis ... 

 U Ophiuchi .. 

 W Sagittarii 



8 Lyrse 



R Lyrse 

 r) Aquilae 

 WCygni ... 

 5 Cephei 



R.A. 

 h. m. 

 O 52*4 • 



6 575 • 

 10 32-0 .. 

 13 20-3 .. 



16 324 . 



17 10-9 .. 



17 579 •• 



18 460 .. 



18 51-9 ■• 



19 46-8 .. 



21 31-8 .. 



22 25-0 .. 



Decl. 



. 81 16 N. 

 . 20 44 N. 

 . 12 48 S. 

 . 2 48 S. 

 .67 o N. 

 . 1 20 N. 



• 29 35 S. 



• 33 14. N - 

 . 43 48 N. 

 . o 43 N. 



• 44 53 N. 



• 57 5> N. 



May 17, 

 „ 15. 



15. 



17, I 

 I4i 



18, O 



17, 3 

 17. 23 

 18, 



19, 23 

 18, 

 15. 23 



38 m 

 oM 



in 

 oM 



in 



36 m 



o in 



o M 



m 

 o in 



M 

 o M 



M signifies maximum ; m minimum. 



Meteor- Showers. 

 R.A. Decl. 



Near rj Aquilse 

 From Delphinus 



295 

 3H 



o 



15 N. 



May 15. Very swift. 

 May 13-18. Very 

 swift. Streaks. 



