March 28, 1889] 



NATURE 



519 



A French translation of Prof. Romanes's " Mental Evolution 

 in Man " is in course of preparation in Paris. 



The Oesterreichische Botanische Zeitschrift, now in its thirty- 

 ninth year, is edited, from the commencement of the present year, 

 by Dr. Richard R. von Wettstein. 



At the annual meeting of the Governors of Aberdare Hall, 

 University College, Cardiff, which took place this month, the 

 Executive Committee were able to submit a most satisfactory 

 report. Several students had distinguished themselves by 

 gaining scholarships both at the College and Hall; two had 

 taken the B.A. degree (London) ; others had passed the Inter- 

 mediate in Arts and matriculation examinations, among whom 

 was Miss Moss, who took the twelfth place in Honours division, 

 matriculation examination. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Chinese Mynahs {Acridotheres crista- 

 Jellus) from China, presented by Mrs. Rigby ; a Rose-crested 

 Cockatoo {Cacaltta molticcensis) from Moluccas, presented by 

 Miss Liming ; a Long-tailed Copsychus [Copsychtis macninis, 

 cJ) from India, two Silky Bower-Birds {Plilonorhynchtts 

 violaceus, $ $ ) from Australia, a Blue and Yellow Macaw 

 {Ara araratina) from South America, deposited ; two Squirrel 

 Monkeys [Chrysothfix sciurea) from Guiana, a Four-horned 

 Antelope {Telraceros quadricomis, $) from India, a South 

 American Flamingo {Phxnicopterus ignipalliatus) from South 

 America, purchased ; a Gayal [Bibos frontalis, $ ), a Vulpine 

 Phalanger {Phalangista imlpina), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Observations of Jupiter.— An excellent series of eighty- 

 four drawings of the planet Jupiter at different periods during 

 the years 1881-86, made with the reflector of 3 feet aperture 

 at Birr Castle Observatory by Dr. Boeddicker, has just been 

 published in the form of a communication to the Royal Dublin 

 Society (vol. iv. series 2, March 1889). Twenty-two of the 

 drawings were made during the opposition of 1881-82, thirty- 

 one during 1882-83, twenty-one during 1883-84, ei^hi during 

 1884-85, and two during 1885-86. The drawings made at the 

 telescope have been exactly reproduced by a photo-mechanical 

 process in order to avoid the errors which might have arisen by 

 the employment of the ordinary lithographic process. Through- 

 out the descriptive notes a very convenient notation has been 

 employed for reference to the various features. Dr. Boeddicker 

 draws attention to the three observations of March 16, 1883, 

 showing remarkable changes in the appearance of one of the 

 belts during the course of an hour. The first drawing shows 

 two detached patches, which, in the succeeding drawings, become 

 the shadows of large cumulus-like clouds lying across the Jovian 

 surface. It is suggested that these apparent chanijes may be 

 simply due to the combination of the more obvious details 

 with the finer ones after prolonged examination, and that the 

 discrepancies between drawings made at the same time by different 

 observers may thus be accounted for. Photography may be 

 expected in the near future to overcome this difficulty. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1889 MARCH 7,1— APRIL 6. 



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

 Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 

 is here employed.) 



At Greemvich on March 3 1 

 Sun rises, 5h. 38m. ; souths, I2h. 4m. 8-23. ; sets, i8h. 30m. : 



right asc. on meridian, oh. 40-3m. ; decl. 4° 2 1' N. Sidereal 



1 ime at Sunset, 7h. 7m. 

 Moon (New on March 31, I2h.) rises, 6h. 12m. ; souths, 



I2h. 13m. ; sets, i8h. 28m. : right asc. on meridian, 



oh. 49 ^m.; decl. 0° 7' S. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



At the meeting of the Geographical Society on Monday two 

 papers were read, both dealing with the Caucasus, midvvay be- 

 tween Kazbek and Elburz. Here the chain towers up in two 

 great parallel crests, containing within a few square miles at 

 least half a dozen peaks over 16,000 feet in height, an elevation 

 probably reached nowhere else by the summits of the crystalline 

 crest. Two of these peaks are recognized as the second and third 

 summits of the Caucasus — Koshtantau, 17,091 feet; and Dychtau, 

 16,924 feet. One of the papers, by Mr, A. F. Mummery, 

 described his ascent last summer of Koshtantau, while Mr. 

 H. W. Holder dealt with the peaks of the neighbouring Bezingi 

 Glacier. From Mujal, on the south-west of the Zanner Glacier, 

 Mr. Mummery and his companion made their way round 

 by the Thuber and Gvalda passes to Bezingi in order to 

 make the ascent from that side. The arrangement of this 

 part of the chain, Mr. Mummery states, is, from an Alpine point 

 of view, very curious. There is a lofty ridge with occasional 

 aiguilles, from the southern slopes of which stretch the great ice- 

 fields of the Thuber, and there is a second and rather less lofty 

 ridge to the north and parallel to it, from the northern flank of 

 which flow the Basil-su and its various affluents. In the 

 narrow trough between these two ridges lies the head of the 

 Gvalda Glacier. Though seldom so clearly marked as in this in- 

 stance, the same system of short parallel ridges may be traced 

 throughout the whole central group, with the result that the upper 

 and middle basins of the great glaciers are nearly always parallel 

 to the main ridges, and it is only when the drainage from these 

 catchment basins reaches the head of the lateral valleys that the 

 ice sweeps round and flows away at right angles from the water- 

 shed. The Gvalda Glacier is probably the most important on 

 the south side of the Caucasus, and far exceeds in size any on the 

 south slope of the Alps. Its basin probably exceeds in extent 

 that of the Gl.acier du Geant, to which it is not without a resem- 

 blance. The Caucasian glaciers in this part of the chain are 



