NA TURE 



\jfan. lo, 1889 



by Mr. H. A. Miers, entitled ''Contributions fo the Study of 

 Pyrargyrite and Prcustite." The paper, as the author explains, 

 is the result of a study of the rich collection of red silvers in the 

 British Museum (Natural History). The analyses have been 

 made by Mr. G. T. Prior, and the specific gravity determina- 

 tions in most instances by both Mr. Prior and Mr. Miers 

 himself. The number also includes a paper on a peculiar variety 

 of hornblende from Mynydd Mawr, Carnarvonshire, and a note 

 on picrite from the Liskeard district, both by Prof. Bonney ; 

 a paper on dufrenite from Cornwall, by Prof. Kinch ; and notes 

 on some minerals from the Lizard, by Mr. J. J. H. Teall. 



The following figures show the devastations caused in the 

 Hungarian vineyards by the Phylloxera. In 1881, 50 vineyards 

 were infected ; this number rose in 1882 to 79, in 1883 to 107, 

 in 1884 to 237, in 1885 to 388, in 1886 to 582, and in 1887 to 

 811. In 1887, 132,352 acres of land were infected, the area of 

 all the Hungarian vineyards together being 740,000 acres. 



A LIST of the minerals of New York County, by B. B. 

 Chamberlain, appears in the Transactions of the New York 

 Academy of Sciences, vol. vii. No. 7. This list has now been 

 reprinted. The lists of Robinson and Cozzens numbered some 

 thirty-five minerals. That of Mr. Bailey, in 1865, embraced 

 about forty-five titles. Mr. Chamberlain, omitting some of the 

 less important varieties, has placed on record about a hundred 

 names. The majority of the specimens described are from his 

 own collection. 



In an interesting paper on the decay of the building-stones of 

 New York City, recently read before the New York Academy 

 of Sciences, Mr. Alexis A. Julien says it is "pitiable" to see 

 new buildings erected in soft and often untried varieties of stone 

 covered with delicate carvings of foliage and flower garlands, 

 which are almost certain to be nipped off by the frost before the 

 second generation of the owner shall enter the house. Mr. Julien 

 points out that many of the best building-stones of America have 

 never been brought into New York. Among the examples he 

 mentions are siliceous limestones of the highest promise of 

 durability, allied to that employed in Salisbury Cathedral ; 

 refractory sandstones, like some of those of Ohio and other 

 Western States, particularly fitted for introduction into business 

 buildings in the " dry-goods district," storage houses, &c., where 

 a fire-proof stone is needed ; and highly siliceous varieties of 

 Lower Silurian sandstones, such as occur near Lake Champlain, 

 quartzitic and hard to work, like the Craigleith stone of 

 Edinburgh, and possessing the valuable qualities of that fine 

 stone, in resisting discoloration, notwithstanding its light colour, 

 and in remarkable resistance to disintegration. 



The French Revite des Colonies reports that from a plant 

 called Kanaff, which grows in the summer on the shores of the 

 Caspian, M. O. Blakenbourg, a chemist, has obtained an admir- 

 able textile matter, which is soft, elastic, tough, and silky, and 

 which can be bleached chemically without losing these proper- I 

 ties. The resistance of this new material is said to be far 

 greater than that of hemp, while its specific weight is much less. 



Prof. Heydeck, of Konigsberg, has been lecturing on a pile 

 dwelling, in the Szontag Lake, in East Prussia. Ten years ago, 

 the lake was lowered a little more than a metre. The land thus 

 gained was cultivated, and a pile dwelling was discovered. 

 Many flint implements were found. There was only one bronze 

 ornament, but articles of bone were numerous. There were aLo 

 vessels of clay, of which nineteen were quite uninjured. 



In our review of "The Orchids of the Cape Peninsula," by 

 Harry Bolus, F.L.S., last week, it was noted that the omission 

 of the publisher's name might cause inconvenience to persons 

 wishing to purchase copies, Messrs. Wesley and Son write to 

 us that some copies of the work have been sent to them for sale. 1 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include an African Zebu {Bos indicus 9 ) from East 

 Africa, presented by Mr. W. Mackinnon, F.Z.S. ; nCooi{Fulica 

 atra), British, presented by Mr. J. Cutting ; a Greek Partridge 

 {Caccabis saxatilis) from Bussorah, presented by Mr. Harold 

 Hanaeur, F.Z.S. ; two Red and Yellow Macaws {Ara chloroptera) 

 from South America, a Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo 

 {Cacatua galerita), a Roseate Cockatoo {Cacatua roseicapilla) 



from Australia, presented by Lady Meux ; a Guinea P'owl 



{Ntimida ) from East Africa, presented by Mr. Percy C. Reid ; 



three Ruffs {Machates ftignax), two Snow Buntings {Plectra- 

 phancs nivalis), British, purchased ; a Great '^^\\?i.roo{ Mac ropm 

 robusttts), born in the Gardens. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 



WEEK 1889 JANUARY 13-19. 

 /T7OR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

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



is h ere employed. ) 



At Greenwich on J aniiary 13 

 Sun rises, 8h. 3m, ; souths, I2h. gm. 6-8s. ; sets, 16*1. 15m. : 



right asc. on meridian, igh. 41 •8111. ; decl. 21° 24' S. 



Sidereal Time at Sunset, 23h. 48m. 

 Moon (Full on January 17, 6h.) rises, I3h. 35m. ; souths, 



2ih. 51m.; sets, 5h. 36m.*: right asc. on meridian, 



5h. 5 •2m. ; decl. 19" 52' N. 



Mercury.. 

 Venus ... 

 Mars ... 

 Jupiter ... 

 Saturn ... 

 Uranus... 

 Neptune.. 



Rises. 

 h. m. 



8 45 • 



9 52 . 

 9 43 • 

 6 II , 



18 25*. 

 o 27 . 

 12 34 . 



Souths, 

 h. m. 

 12 ^2 .. 



15 's . 



14 49 •• 

 10 7 .. 



I 55 •• 



5 50 .. 



20 17 .. 



Sets, 

 h. m. 

 16 59 

 20 18 



19 55 

 14 3 



9 25 

 II 13 



4 o* 



Right asc. and declinatio 

 on meridian, 

 h. m. . , 



20 25-2 

 22 37-8 

 22 217 

 17 39-3 



9 261 



13 22'0 



3 51-5 



21 22 S. 



9 58 S. 

 ir 16 S. 

 23 oS. 

 16 16 N. 



7 57 S. 

 18 26 N. 



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

 that of the following morning. 

 Jan. 



17 ••• — ••• Partial eclipse of the Moon : visible through- 



out the United Kingdom : first contact 

 with shadow 3h. 59m. : middle of eclipse 

 5h. 30m. : last contact with shadow 

 7h. om. About two-thirds of the moon's 

 diameter will be obscured. 



18 ... 21 ... Saturn in conjunction with and 1° 20' south 



of the Moon. 



