158 



NA TURE 



[_Dec. 15, 1 38; 



Mr.F.Moore, having completed the "Lepidoptera of Ceylon," 

 has now in preparation a mucli more extensive work comprising 

 the Lepidopterous insects of the entire Indian region. It will be 

 issued in monthly parts, to subscribers only, by the publishers of 

 his previous work, Messrs. I.. Reeve and Co. 



Mr. H. T. Ommaney, C.S., of Karwar, has sent to the 

 Eombay Natural Histoiy Society a full-grown live specimen 

 of the Hamadryad, or King Cohrvi [Ophiop'^agus elaps). The 

 reptile, which measures al)out 12 feet in length, is jet black, 

 with faint cream-coloured bars across its back. The throat is of 

 a golden-yellow colour. 



A NEW " Catalogue of Mathematical Books," including many 

 of the works of the old mathematicians, has been issued by 

 Messrs. Macmilian and Bowes, Cambridge. 



Dr. Overbeck, who owns part of the collections that originally 

 belonged to Alexander von Humboldt, has sent a report about 

 them to the Saxe-Thuringian Naturalists' Society at Halle. He 

 enumerates 290 objects. Dr. Overbeck intends to present 

 Humboldt's collection of minerals to the Mineralogical Museum 

 of Halle University. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include three American Flying Squirrels {Scitiroptcnis 

 ■volucella) from Florida, presented by Mr. Henry D. Harrison ; 

 two Great Eagle Owls {Bubo maximiis), European, deposited ; 

 two Common Wo'.ves {Canis lupus i 9), European, received 

 in exchange. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Natal Observatory.— Mr. Nelson, Superintendent 

 of this Observatory, has issued his Report for 18S6, and it appears 

 frv>m it that the astronomical work during that year was almost 

 wholly confined to routine observations with the transit instru- 

 ment, thougli the meteorological observations were carried on 

 as usual. I'his partial suspension of activity was due to the fact 

 that only one assistant is now on the staff, and that, through the 

 Sc^■ere illness of the Superintendent during the first part of the 

 year and his enforced absence in England during the la'ter part, 

 the assistant, Mr. Grant, was left practically single-handed. The 

 present year will probably show better results, as Mr. Neison 

 returned to his post before the close of 1886, and several needed 

 instrumental improvements and repairs had been successfully 

 carried out. Mr. Neison had commenced an important work 

 connecting the fundamental declinations of the star catalogues 

 of the northern and southern observatories, by means of obser- 

 vations of the differences in zenith distance between 32 selected 

 stars which cross the meridians of the great northern obser- 

 vatories near their zeniths on the one hand, and a set of corre- 

 sponding southern circumpolar stars on the other. 



Oi.BERs' Comet, 1887.— The following ephemeris for Berlin 

 midnight for this object is in continuation of that given in 

 Nature of December i, p. 37 : — 



Probable New Class of Variable Si-ars.— The Rev. 

 T. E. Espin considers that a number of our variable stars 

 posse-s characteristics whijh justify their being formed into a 

 separate class. They are irregular both in period and variati m, 

 the la:ter being usually about \\ mag., and they show spectra 



of Secchi's fourth type, i.e. like No. 152 Schjellerup. Their 

 changes in brightness are rapid and uncertain. Mr. Espin names 

 19 Piscium, Birmingham 277, 521, 535, 541, and Espin 116, 

 154, as belonging to this new class, which perhaps embraces also 

 Birmingham 85, 1 20, 121, 240, 290, 418, 464, 483, and 502. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOlfENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1887 DECEMBER 18-24. 



/■pOR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

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



is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on Decein'ier 18 



Sun rises, 8h. 4m. ; souths, iih. 56m. 45'Ss. ; sets, I5h. 5011. : 



right asc. on meridian, I7h. 43-911. ; decl. 23° 24' S. 



Sidereal Time at Sunset, 2ih. 38m. 

 Moon (at First Quarter on December 22, 7h.) rises, loh. 48m. ; 



souths, I5h. 23nfi. ; sets, 2oh. 4m. : right a c. on meridian, 



2ih. lo-7m. ; decl. 16° 43' S. 



Right asc. and declination 

 Planet. Rise?. Souths. Sets. on merid;an. 



h. m. h. m. h. m. !i. m. , , 



Mercurj-.. 6 35 ... 10 44 .. 14 53 ... 16 31-1 ... 21 4 S. 

 Venus ... 3 48 ... 8 48 .. 13 48 ... 16 34-5 ... 12 16 S. 

 .Mars ... o 38 ... 6 39 ... 12 40 ... 12 25-6 ... o 37 S. 

 Jupiter ... 5 17 ... 9 44 ... 14 u ... 15 308 ... iS 9 S. 

 Saturn ... 18 59*... 2 47 ... 10 35 ... 8 328 ... 19 16 N. 

 Uranus... i 43 ... 7 16 ... 12 49 ... 13 2-5 ... 5 58 S. 

 Neptune. 14 16 ... 21 56 ... 5 36*... 3 44-3 ... iS i N. 



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

 that of the following morning. 



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



Corresponding 



angles from ver- 



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



inverted image. 

 h. m. h. m. „ o 



18 ... ( Capricorni ... 4^ ... 17 58 .. 18 59 ... 103 350 



December 22. — Sun at greatest declination south ; shortest 

 day in northern latitudes. 



Variable Stars. 



Star. R.A. - Decl. 



h. m. , / h. m 



o 52-3 .. 81 16 N. ... Dec. 21, 23 44 m 



3 54-4 ... 12 10 N. ... ,, iS, 22 54 m 



,, 22, 21 46 m 



CGeminorum ... 6 57-4 ... 20 44 N. ... ,, 19, 22 o m 



,, 24, 22 o M 



R Canis Majoris... 7 14-3 ... 16 11 S. ... ,, 19, 2 19 m 



„ 20, 5 35 w 



S Cancri 8 375 ... 19 26 N. ... ,, 21, 23 57 m 



S Librae 1454-9... 8 4 S. . ,, 18,22 zm 



U Coronae 15 13-6 ... 32 4 N. ... ,, 21, 18 29 nt 



R Serpentis 15 45-5 ... 15 29 N. ... ,, 21, M 



B Lyrje 18 45-9 ... 33 14 N. ... ,, 18, 2 o m 



Y Cygni 20 45-6 ... 34 10 N. ... ,, 20, 21 51 ;« 



,, 23, 21 45 m 



S Cephei 22 25*0 ... 57 50 N. ... ,, 23, 2 o Af 



M signifies maximum ; tn minimum. 



U Cephei 

 \ Tauri 



Meteor- Shower. 



R.A. 



Near A Ursce Majoris. 



49 N. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



The new number of Petcnnxnns Mitteilungen contains a 

 letter from Dr. Hans Meyer, written from Taveta, at i-lhe foot 

 of Kilimanjaro, giving some details of his ascent of that 

 mountain, and the results of his observations ; it is accom- 

 panied by a i-ketch-map. Dr. Meyer, with one white co.m- 

 panion and twenty-two natives, started from Mareale's village, at 

 the south foot of the mountain, in the beginning of July, and" 

 proceeded to mount the southern slopes. At iSoo metres thj 

 last bananas were passed, and at 2000 metres the saturates 

 forest belt was entered, which on the second day was left be| 

 hind. Immediately above this stretches a broad belt of grass 



