■^3^ 



NATURE 



{yune 9, 1887 



dssued by Messrs. Palmer and Howe, of Manchester. It is 

 ■called the Chemical Trade Journal, and is edited by Mr. 

 •George E. Davis. 1 wo numbers have already appeared. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 ■past week include two Egyptian Jerboas {Dipus cegyptius) from 

 Egypt, a Moorish Toad {Bufo maun'anica) from Tunis, pre- 

 -sented by the Ho:i. Terence Bourke ; a White-crowned Pigeon 

 {Columba leucocephala) from the West Indies, presented by 

 Lieut. -Colonel W. G. Dawkins ; a Common Trumpeter {Psophia 

 ■crepitans) from -Deaierara, presented by Mr. G. H. Hawtayne ; 

 a Crowned Horned Lizard {Phrynosoma coronatum) from Texas, 

 presented by Mr. Claude A. Millard ; two Egyptian Jerboas 

 {Dipiis (Bgyptius) from Egypt, deposited; two Cape Sparrows 

 {Passer arcua'us), four Alario Finches {Alario alarioj from 

 South Africa, purchased; a Wapiti Deer {Cerviis canadensis), 

 born in the Gardens. 



OUR. ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Comet 1887 ^ (Barnard, May 12). — Dr. H. Oppenheim 

 •supplies the following improved elements for this comet in Dun 

 Echt Circular No. 147 :— 



T = 1887 June 17-2209 Berlin M.T. 



■K - 9> = 15 40 19 ) 



a = 245 13 I > Mean Eq. i887"o. 



' = 17 31 52) 

 log q = 0'I4288 



Ephemeris for Berlin Midnight. 

 1887. R.A. Decl. Log ii. Log r. Bright- 



h. ra. s. 01 ness. 



June 13 16 13 43 7 5o"3 S. 9-6006 0-1432 1-5 



15 16 18 17 6 20-5 



17 16 22 51 4 53-9 9"6o77 0-1429 1-5 



19 16 27 26 3 30-8 



21 16 32 I 2 11-4 S. 96182 0-1433 i'4 



The brightness on May 14 has been taken as unity. 



Minor Planet No. 266. — This object has received the name 

 ■of Aline. 



The Parallax of « Taurl — Prof. Asaph Hall has pub- 

 lished in the Astronomical yournal, No. 156, a de'ermination of 

 the parallax of this star deduced from measures of the position- 

 angle and distance of the eleventh magnitude companion made 

 with the Washington 26inch refractor between October 2, 1886, 

 and March 15, 1887. The resulting values of the relative parallax 

 are : from measures of angle, -n ~ -{■ o"-i63 ± 0-0409, and from 

 measures of distance, -n — + o"-035 ± 0-0431. The mean value 

 of the parallax of a Tauri from these observations is therefore 

 ■TT = -f o"-io2 ± o"-0296. It will be remembered that M. O. 

 Struve recently publi-hed a determination of the parallax of 

 this star, referred to the same comparison-star, and found 

 -Tt — -^ o"-5i6 ± o"-o57. 



Madras Meridian Observations. — A volume of Madras 

 astronomical observations at last ! In 1887 Mr. Pogson pub- 

 lishes the results of the meridian circle work during 1802, 1863, 

 and 1864. A prefatory epistle addressed to Sir M. E. Grant- 

 Duff, late Governor of Madras, speaks of" the removal of certain 

 arbitrary and suppressive restrictions which have prevented me 

 and my predecessors from attempting anything of the kind for 

 considerably more than thirty years past," but gives the reader 

 no more definite information as to the reason of this unparalleled 

 delay in publication, nor why the Madras Observatory should 

 have thus fallen from the high position which it formerly held. 

 Tne instrument with which the observations now published were 

 made is a transit-circle constructed by Messrs. Troughton and 

 Simms, in consultation with the late Mr. Carrington. The 

 object-glass is of s^-inches aperture, and the circle of 42-inches 

 diameter. It wa^ brought into use in May 1862, and was 

 devoted to the observation of stars down to the fifth magnitude, 

 the moon and accompanying stars, Mars and comparison stars at 

 successive oppositions, minor planets, and as many stars of more 

 than 120° N. P. D. as could be found, not less than the eighth 

 magnitude. The present volume contains star places only. 



The ledgers and catalogues of mean places for each year are 

 given separately and take up much more space in printing than is 

 necessary for mere annual results. Altogether 227 stars were 

 observed in 1S62, 782 in 1863, and 1000 in 1864. A comparison 

 between the Madras places of time-stars and those of the 

 Nautical Almanac (on the R. A. 's of which those of Madras depend) 

 shows a good agreement in R.A., but in N P.D. a mean excess 

 of the former of -F o"-7, which "renders it certain that the 

 Polar Distances will require some further small correction before 

 being formed into a final geieral Catalogue." 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 



WEEK \Ut JUNE 12-18. 



/"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 June 12. 

 Sunrises, 3h. 45m. ; souths, iih. 59n. 29-5^. ; sets, 2oh. 14m. ; 

 decl. on meridian, 23° 9' N. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 

 I3h. 37m. 

 Moon (at Last Quarter on June 13) rises, oh. 5m. ; souths, 

 5h. 13m. ; sets, loh. 30m. ; decl. on meridian, 10° 32' S. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 

 It may interest our readers to know that a full account of 

 Baron Nordenskj old's narrative of his very interesting journey 

 across Greenland has been published in German by Brockhaus, 

 of Leipzig, with numerous maps and illustrations. Doubtless, 

 like the same explorer's previous narratives, it will soon appear 

 in an English dress. We are assured that Nordenskjold will not 

 undertake any Antarctic expedition before 1888 or 18S9, if, 

 indeed, he undertakes it at all, which is highly doubtful. He 

 has much to do still before the publications connected with the 

 Fi?^(2 Expedition are complete, and he has a variety of other 

 work in hand which must be finished before he enters on any 

 new undertaking. 



The paper read at Monday's meeting of the Royal Geo- 

 grapical Society was one of unusual novelty and interest. It 

 described the exploration which Mr. H. E. M. James, of the 

 Bombay Civil Service, in co-mpany with two friends, made last 

 spring and summer in Manchuria. The region explored extends 

 from the Yellow Sea to beyond 45° N., and between 122" and 

 130° E. long. A considerable section of the journey was over 

 virtually new ground, and as Mr. James is a careful observer, 

 and, we believe, a botanist, and an accurate describer, his paper is 

 of some scientific value. He has at least been able to add some 

 precise features to our maps of the region. The paper contains 



