626 



NATURE 



{Oct. 25, 1888 



relates to the region of Behring Strait, and to th; search ex- 

 peditions in that direction between 1848-54. The whole series 

 has been discussed in a uniform and most complete manner by 

 Mr. R. Strachan, and all the available information relating to 

 the physical phenomena, and to the movements of animals and 

 birds, has been thoroughly exhausted. The work contains most 

 valuable data for scientific inquiry, and for use in any future 

 expeditions to those remote regions. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Toque Monkeys (Macacus pileatus <j 9 ) 

 from Ceylon, presented by Mrs. Ellen Hodson ; a Moustache 

 Monkey {Cercopithcus cephus <J ) from West Africa, presented 

 by Mr. Andrew Allen; a Common Otter (Lutra vulgaris Q ), 

 British, presented by Mr. John Crisp ; a Japanese Deer (Cervus 

 sika 6 ) from Corea, presented by Capt. H. C. Eagles, R.M.L.I. ; 

 three Virginian Opossums {Didelphys virginiana <$ 9 9 ) from 

 North America, presented by Mr. G. F. Whateley, R.N. ; a 

 Common Chameleon {Chamcelcon vulgaris) from North Africa, 

 presented by Mr. George Berry; a Collared Mangabey {Ccrco- 

 cebus collaris) from West Africa, a Grey Ichneumon {fferpestes 

 gtiseus) from India, two Cockateels (Calopsitta novic-hollan Ha:) 

 from Australia, four Snow Geese {Chen albatus) from North 

 America, a Larger Hill-Mynah {Gracula intermedia) from 

 Northern India, deposited; four Radiated Tortoises {Tesindo 

 radiata) from Madagascar, purchased ; an Indian Swine (Sza 

 cristatus) from India, a Nilotic Trionyx {Trionyx agypticus) 

 from the River Nile, received in exchange. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Ring Nebula in' Lyra. — Prof. Holden reports that 

 this object, as seen with the great Lick refractor, shows far 

 more detail than had been detected either by Lassell with his 

 4-foot reflector, or by the Washington observers with the 

 great 26-inch refractor. With these telescopes thirteen stars 

 had been seen in an oval outside the ring, and one star had been 

 seen within it. The 36-inch Lick telescope shows twelve stars 

 within the ring or projected upon it, and renders it obvious that 

 the nebula consists of a series of ovals or ellipses : first the ring 

 of stars, then the outer and inner edges of the nebulosity, next a 

 ring of faint stars round the edges of the inner ring, and last a 

 number of s'ars situated on the various parts of the nebulosity 

 and outer oval. 



Comets Brooks and Faye. — The following ephemerides 

 are in continuation of those given in Nature, vol. xxxviii. 

 P- 576:- 



Comet 188S c (Brooks). 



Decl. 



Comet i88Srf(Faye). 



141 s. 

 59 'o 

 42 "O 

 23-2 

 27 

 40 6 

 17*0 

 5i-8 S. 



Comet 1888 e (Barnard). —The following ephemeris for 

 Berlin midnight is by Herr A. Berberich {Aslr. Nach., No. 

 2861): — 



Decl. 



3° 4 87N. 



3 17*5 



2 44 6 

 2 9-9 

 1 33'4 

 55-3 

 i6'o N. 



The brightness at discovery is taken as unity. 



American Observatories.— Piof. W. W. Campbell has 

 been appointed to the position in the Observatory of Ann 

 Arbor which was held by Mr. J. M. Schaeberie previous to 

 his appointment as assistant at the Lick Observatory. 



The Observatory at Iowa College, Grinnell, Iowa, possesses 

 a fine equatorial of 8 inches aperture by the Clarks, and strong 

 efforts are being made to obtain a transit-instrument and chrono- 

 graph, and sidereal and mean clocks, so that a time service may 

 be maintained. 



The Carleton College Observatory, Northfield, Minnesota, is 

 now a very well equipped institution, with transit and prime 

 vertical instruments, besides the old equatorial of 8^ inches, and 

 the new one of 16 inches aperture, the 30-foot dome for which is 

 already in its place. A standard time service has been organized, 

 and standard " Central " time — that is, time six hours later than 

 Greenwich mean time — is distributed to nine railways, embracing 

 in all more than 12,000 miles of road. The charge of this depart- 

 ment has been given to MissC. R. Willard. Dr. II. C. Wilson, 

 late of Mount Lookout, Cincinnati, is Assistant Professor of 

 Astronomy at Carleton College, and Prof. W. W. Payne, editor 

 of the Sidereal Messenger, is Director of the Observatory. 



Messrs. Fearnley (the Director of the Christiania Obser- 

 vatory) and Geelmuyden have published zone observations of the 

 stars between 64° 50' and 70 10' north declination, made at the 

 Observatory. The volume is a large one of 319 pages. The 

 observations are preceded by an introduction giving an account 

 of the work, 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 



WEEK 1888 OCTOBER 28— NOVEMBER 3. 



/"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 October 28 

 Sun rises, 6h. 50m. ; souths, nh. 43m. 49 - os. ; sets, 1611. 3Sm. : 

 right asc. on meridian, 14I1. I2'8m.; decl. 13° 22' S. Sidereal 

 Time at Sunset, 19I1. 8m. 

 Moon (at Last Quarter October 28, 2h.) rises, 22h. 8m.* ; souths 

 6n. I2m. ; sets. 14)1. 6m. : right asc. on meridian, 8h. 40'im.; 

 decl. 1 9 31' N. 



Right asc. and declination 

 Planet. Rises. Souths. Sets. on meridian. 



h. m. h. m. h. m. h. m. , 



Mercury.. 7 40 ... 12 12 ... 16 44 ... 14 41-6 ... 17 23 S. 



Venus 9 35 ... 13 38 ... 17 41 ... 16 77 ... 21 48 S. 



Mars 12 6 ... 15 47 ... 19 28 ... 18 17-0 ... 24 58 S. 



Jupiter.... 9 49 ... 13 57 ... 18 5 ... 16 26-4 ... 21 13 S. 

 Saturn.... 23 33*... 7 o ... 14 27 ... 9 28 - i ... 15 5r N. 

 Uranus... 5 12 ... 10 41 ... 16 10 ... 13 io'i ... 6 47 S. 

 Neptune.. 17 46*... 1 32 ... 9 18 ... 3 59-4 ... 18 48 N. 



* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening. 

 Oct. h. 



29 ... 4 ... Saturn in conjunction with and 1° 16' south 



of the Moon. 

 Nov. 



I ... o ... Mercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun. 

 1 ... 21 ... Venus in conjunction with and i° 31' south 

 of Jupiter. 

 12 ... Mercury in conjunction with and 4 50' south 

 of the Moon. 



Variable Stars. 

 R.A. Decl. 



h. m. ». 4 "• m - 



o 52-4 ... 81 16 N. ... Oct. 31, 2 9 tn 



3 0*9 ... 40 31 N. ... ,, 30, 20 29 m 



3 545 ... 12 10N. ... ,, 30, 4 38 m 



Nov. 3, 3 30 tn 

 R Canis Majoris... 7 14-5 ... 16 12 S. ... Oct. 31, o 51 tn 



Nov. 1, 4 7 tn 

 U Monocerotis ... 7 25-5 .. 9 33 S. ... Oct. 31, M 



S Cancri 8 37-5 .. 19 26 N. ... ,, 29, 23 42 m 



U Ophiuchi 17 10-9 ... 1 20 N. ... Nov. 1, 18 12 tn 



B Lyrae 18 46-0 ... 33 14 N , I, 20 O M 



T Vulpeculse ... 20 46-7 ... 27 50 N. ... Oct. 29, 20 o M 



,, 30, 21 o m 



V Cygni 20 47 6 ... 34 14 N. ... ,, 29, 3 o tn 



Nov. 1, 3 o tn 



5 Cephei 22 25-0 ... 57 51 N. ... ,, 2, 1 o m 



M signifies maximum ; m minimun.. 



Meteor- Showers. 

 R.A. Decl. 



Near v Arielis :.. 

 ,, 30 Tauri 

 ,, & Tauri 



