Sept. 20, 1888] 



NATURE 



Australia, presented by Mr. R. Hall ; two White fronted 

 Amazons (Chrysolis leucocephald) from Cuba, a Prince Albert's 

 Curassow \Crax alberti) from Columbia, a Mexican Guan 

 {Penelope pur purascens), obtained by purchase ; a Herring Gull 

 (Lams argcntatus\ British, presented by the Marchioness of 

 Cholmondeley ; a Tuberculated Iguana (Igicaita tiiberculata) 

 from Brazil, presented by Mr. H. E. Blandford ; a Chameleon 

 {Chavuelcon titlgnris), three Lacertine Snakes {Ccelopeltis 

 lacerlina), and two Horseshoe Snakes (Zamenis kippocrepis) 

 from Morocco, presented by Mr. Herbert E. White. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Comet 1888 c (Brooks).— Dr. H. Kreutz has more recently 

 computed for this comet more exact elements than those which 

 he had obtained from the observations of August 9, 10, and 

 ir. These later elements are based, on observations made at 

 Vienna on August 9, at Hamburg, August 14 and 24, and 

 at Strassburg, August 19 ; aberration and parallax being 

 corrected for. 



T = 1! 



July 3 1 "25 1 1 5, Berlin M.T. 



a, = 59 19 25] 

 ft = 101 32 50T • Mean Eq. 1$ 

 t = 74 12 137 ) 

 log f = 9 -95 5456 



Error of middle places (O — C), 



August 14 

 19 



AA COS B = 



- 3'5; A0 = 



+ 3'3; 



- 3'2 



- 3*4 



Prof. A. Krueger (Astr. Nach., No. 2855) nas computed the 

 following ephemeris for Berlin midnight from the foregoing : — 



R.A. 



Decl. 



Sept. 



Log r. Log 6, 



01084 ••• - 23IO 

 0-1242 ... 0-2456 



Bright- 

 ness. 

 O45 



1457 40 ... 21 137 N. 



! 5 5 34 ••• I9 44-I 



15 13 7 ... iS 16-4 ... 0-1242 ... 0-2456 ... 0*39 



15 20 22 ... 16 51-0 



15 27 19 ... 15 27-9 N.... 0-1395 ... 0-2611 ... 0*34 



The brightness on August 9 is taken as unity. 



On August 11 the comet was observed at the Observatory of 

 Algiers, and the nucleus was estimated as being about equal in 

 brightness to a star of the tenth magnitude ; the nebu^sity was 

 about 1' in diameter, and there was a faint tail in the direction 

 of the diurnal movement. Prof. L. Boss, observing the comet 

 at Albany, N.V., estimated it on August 10 as of mag. 9, and 

 on August 19, in bright moonlight, as mag. 11. The tail on 

 August 10 was estimated as 10' in length, and was of the 

 same breadth as the hend. 



Discovery of a New Comet, i858«?.— Mr. E. E. Barnard, 

 formerly of Nashville, Tennessee, now at the Lick Observatory, 

 discovered a new comet on September 3 at oh. 33m. G.M.T., 

 R.A. 6h. 52m. 16s., Decl. io° 59' N. The comet is described 

 as circular, 1' in diameter, of the eleventh magnitude, with 

 tolerably well-defined nucleus, but with no tail. Dr. Kobold 

 observed it at Strassburg on September 5 at 13I1. 44-1111. 

 G. M.T., R.A. 6h. 52m. 15s., Decl. io° 49' 33" N. 



Comet 1888 d (Faye).— Placing the perihelion passage of this 

 comet as 2*6od. later than given in Dr. Moller's elements, an 

 alteration according well with the observations at Nice, August 

 9-17, Dr. H. Kreutz has computed (Aitr. Nach., No. 2856) the 

 following ephemeris for it for Berlin midnight : — 



Sept. 



.. 6 

 •• 7 

 • 7 



R.A. 



h. m. s. 



6 47 41 ... 



6 51 59 - 



56 12 ... 



o 21 ... 



4 24 ... 



Decl. 



i°5 36 N. 

 15 16 



14 56 



14 35 



14 14 N. 



Log r. 

 0-2472 .. 

 0-2489 .. 



Log A. 

 0-2244 



Bright 

 ness. 



• »"33 



02177 ... 1-36 



The brightness on August 9 is taken as unity. 



02509 ... o-2iio ... 1 "39 



ASTRONOMICAL 

 WEEK 1 88c 



5C3 



THE 



PHENOMENA FOR 

 SEPTEMBER 23-29. 



/T70R the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

 ^ Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 



is here employed. ) 



At Greenwich on September 23 

 Sun rises, 5h. 50m. ; souths, nh. 52m. 6-75.; sets, I7h. 54m. : 



right asc. on meridian, I2h. 3'lm. ; decl. o° 20' S. 



Sidereal Time at Sunset, l8h. 6m. 

 Moon (at Last Quarter September 28, 9h.) rises, I9h. 18m.*; 



souths, 2h. om. ; sets, 8h. 54m. : right asc. on meridian, 



2h. 9 -5m. ; decl. 7 44' S. 



Planet. 



Mercury. 

 Venus . . 

 Mars .. 

 Jupiter .. 

 Saturn ... 

 Uranus.. 

 Neptune- 



Rises, 

 h. m. 



7 56 



7 42 



12 21 



11 33 



1 34 



7 18 



20 5* 



Souths. 

 h. m. 



13 I J 



13 7 

 16 15 



15 48 

 9 6 



12 51 

 3 52 



Sets. 



h. m. 



l8 24 



18 32 



20 9 



20 3 



16 38 



18 24 



11 39 



Right asc. and declination 



on meridian, 

 h. m. . , 



13 2IO 

 13 l8 - 2 

 l6 26 9 



15 593 

 9 164 



13 2-0 

 4 20 



9 53 S. 



7 30 S. 

 23 20 S. 

 19 59 S. 

 16 40 N. 



5 57 S. 

 18 57 N. 



* Indicates that the risins is that of the preceding evening 

 Occultation of Star by the Moon (visible at Greenwich). 



Sept. 



28 . 



Sept. 



23 



Star. 



Mag. Disap. 



h. m. 

 .4 ... 22 20 



Reap. 



h. m. 

 23 II 



Corresponding 

 angles from ver- 

 tex to right for 

 inverted image. 



C 2 Geminorum... 4 ... 22 20 ... 23 11 ... 55 245 



h. 

 .. 22 ... Mercury at greatest distance from the Sun. 



Star. 



U Cephei ... 

 C Geminorum 



T Ursse Majoris 



R Bootis 



8 Librae 



U Coronae ... 



U Ophiuchi .. 



Z Sagittarii... 



B Lyras 



S Sagittae ... . 

 X Cygni 

 T Vulpeculae 



Variable Stars. 

 R.A. Decl. 



h. m. 



o 52-4 

 6 57-5 



.. 81 16 N. 



.. 20 44 N. 



Sept. 



12 31-3 .. 

 14 32-3 •• 



14 55 "o •• 



15 13*6 .. 



17 10-9 ... 



18 14-8 ... 



18 46-0 ... 



19 5o - 9 ... 



20 39-0 ... 

 20 467 ... 



60 6N. 



27 13 N. 



8 4 S. 



32 3 N. 

 1 20 N. 



18 55 S. 



33 14 N. 

 16 20 N. 

 35 11 N. 

 27 50 N. 



Y Cygni 20 476 ... 34 14 N. ... „ 



5 Cephei 22 25-0 ... 57 51 N. ... ,', 



M signifies maximum ; m minimum. 

 Meteor- Showers. 

 R.A. Decl. 



Near o Arietis 

 ,, 8 Draconis ... 



THE INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL 

 CONGRESS} 



[" DEEPLY regret that, in consequence of his state of health, 

 Prof. Huxley is unable to be present to-day to bid you 

 welcome to England. But if one voice is here wanting, let me 

 assu e you that the unanimous voice of English geologists unites 

 in the same sentiment, and also thanks you, gentlemen, our 

 foreign colleagues, for having responded in a manner so flatter- 

 ing to the invitation of English geologists to meet this year in 

 London. For in this assembly there are representative geologists 

 from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, 

 Holland, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, 

 Sweden, Swizerland, as well as from the United States, Canada, 

 Mexico, the West Indies, the Argentine Republic, and Aus- 

 tralasia. From all these countries eminent and illustrious men 

 honour us with their presence, and are here to aid us by their 



* Inaugural Address delivered by P.of. J. Prestwich. President of the 

 Congress, on September 17, 1888. (Translated from the French.) 



