March 15, 1888] 



NATURE 



475 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey {Macactis cynoniolgus 9 ) 

 from India, presented by Mrs. A. Ballard ; a White-fronted 

 Capuchin (Celnts albifroiis <J ) from South America, presented 

 by Mrs. E. A. Lediard ; a Binturong {Arctictis binturong) from 

 Malacca, presented by Mr. J. P. Rodger, of Selangor, Malay 

 Peninsula; a Common Quail (C^'/wm/j; commuuis), captured at 

 sea, presented by Captain Christian ; a Brazilian Tortoise 

 ( Test lido tabiilata) from Brazil, deposited ; four Cape Colys 

 (Coitus capensis) from South Africa, received in exchange. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Annals of Harvard College Observatory. — We have 

 received Part 2 of vol. xiii. of the Annals of Harvard College 

 Obsetvator)', containing zone observations with the transit 

 wedge photometer attached to the 15-inch equatorial. These 

 observations were undertaken in order to extend our knowledge 

 of the relative brightness of the fainter stars, and to determine 

 the scales of magnitude employed in the estimates of certain 

 observers, as compared with magnitudes as obtained by means 

 of the meridian photometer. These zone observations were not, 

 however, made with the meridian photometer, but with an 

 adaptation of Prof, Pritchard's wedge photometer, which had 

 been devised by Prof. Pickering. Instead of slipping the wedge 

 along by hand, the telescope and wedge are fixed, and the star is 

 carried from the thin part of the wedge towards the thick by the 

 diurnal motion. An occulting bar is fixed near the thin edge, 

 and the interval between the time of the occultation of a star by 

 the bar, and its extinction by the wedge, is proportional to the 

 magnitude of the star on the assumption of a imiform scale of 

 absorption throughout the wedge. In this way the relative magni- 

 tudes, right ascensions, and (by estimating the point on the bar 

 where they are occulted) the declinations of a number of stars 

 were determined with great rapidity, and the repults made com- 

 parable with magnitudes observed with the meridian photometer 

 by the observation of a sufficient number of standard stars. The 

 observations were made in three zones each 10' in breadth, and 

 lying immediately to the south of N. Dec). 1°, 50^, and 55°, the 

 first zone being part of those observed more than twenty years 

 ago by Prof. Bond, and the other two being situated on the 

 north and south margins of the zone recently revised with the 

 Harvard College meridian circle. A comparison of the D. M. mag- 

 nitudes between the 7th and 9th with magnitudes as determined 

 in the preceding manner show that the former closely con-espond 

 to the magniUules derived from the mean of the three zones, the 

 zone at i' N. giving a value of about two-tenths of a magnitude 

 less than the other two. But for fainter stars the three zones 

 are in close accordance with each other, whilst the D.M. values 

 give in comparison too small a magnitude, the difference in- 

 creasing rapidly until 9-5 magnitude in the Durchmustening\% 

 found to correspond to 10-5 with the wedge photometer. Prof. 

 Bond's scale, on the other hand, corresponds fairly to that of 

 the photometer from 70 magnitude up to ii'o, but beyond gives 

 magnitudes which are too large, so that his I3'5 magnitude 

 corresponds to about I2"5 of the wedge. 



Prof. Pickering is still continuing the investigation, and pro- 

 poses to give hereafter a far more complete comparison for 

 D.M. stars brighter than 9 'O magnitude with magnitudes as given 

 by the meridian photometer. 



Washington Astronomical Observations, 1883.— The 

 volume of the Observations of the Naval Observatory, Wash- 

 ington, for 1883, has been pul)lished, and contains the usual 

 routine observations, the bulk of the volume being devoted to 

 the work with the transit-circle, beside three Appendi.xes, of 

 which two, by Prof. Hall, on the orbits of the inner satellites 

 of Saturn, and on the observation of certain stars for stellar 

 parallax, have already been noticed. The third Appendix is 

 on the Observatory temperature-room and the competitive trials 

 of chronometers in 1884 and 1886. A number of double stars, 

 the satellites of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and the ring of 

 Saturn, had been observed with the 26-inch equatorial ; but no 

 remarkable changes were noticed in the ring. The prime ver- 

 tical was brought into use on November 14, 1882, and 580 

 ob.servations of stars with small meridian zenith distances, at the 

 times of the maxima of aberration; were secured. The meridian 

 transit instrument of 5^ inches aperture, by Estel, was also used 



regularly, and 1408 observations secured with it. The 26-inch 

 equatorial was used for the observation of minor planets, comets, 

 and occultations. The Report of the Superintendent includes 

 a notice of the Transit of Venus Expeditions of 1882, and of 

 the reduction of the zone observations made in Chili in the 

 years 1850-51-52, under Capt. Gilliss, A copy of the letter of 

 the Superintendent, asking for a grant of $586,138 for the pur- 

 pose of erecting the new Observatory, is also given, together 

 with the recommendation of the architect that the entire amount 

 be appropriated in one sum. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1888 MARCH 18-24. 



/'TIJ'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 March 18 



Sun rises, 6h. 7m, ; souths, I2h. 8m. 2*os. ; sets, l8h. 9m. : 



right asc. on meridian, 23h. 54 'om. ; decl. 0° 39' S. 



Sidereal Time at Sunset, 5h. 56m. 

 Moon (at First Quarter March 20, 2ih.) rises, 8h. 52m. ; 



souths, i6h. 26m. ; sets, oh. lom.* : right asc. on meridian, 



4h. i3-om. ; deck 16° 30' N. 



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

 that of the following morning. 



Occultations of Stars by the Moon (visible at Greenwich). 



