June i6, 1887] 



NATURE 



161 



liquid tar, which had been poured into tin boxes, and pieces of 

 solid tar which had been placed in the ground near the vines. 

 Large clouds of smoke quickly enveloped the vineyard. The 

 fires lasted for about two hours, but the smoke did not clear off 

 till a considerable time after. The object of the experiment was 

 completely gained, as not one young shoot was destroyed by the 

 frost. 



The American Institute of Electrical. Engineers, organized 

 three years ago, is making arrangements for the purchase of a 

 suitable building in New York It is proposed that there shall 

 be an electrical library and museum, and, if space permits, an 

 experimental laboratory. Suitable accommodation will be pro- 

 vided for council and general meetings, and the entertainment 

 of members and their guests, and the house will be open " at all 

 reasonable hours." 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Squirrel Monkey ( Chiysothrix sciurea) from 

 Guiana, presented by Miss Grace Williams ; a Negro Tamarin 

 (Midas ursulus) from Guiana, presented by Miss Julia Neilson ; 

 a Rhesus Monkey [Macacus rhesus) froji India, presented by 

 Miss R. M. Hurt ; a Common Marmoset {Hapale jacchus) from 

 South-East Brazil, presented by Mrs. Constance Hoendorff; a 

 Common Raccoon {Procyon lotor) from North America, pre- 

 sented by Mr. G. F. Van Zandt ; two Lanner Falcons {Falco 

 lanarius), European, presented by Mr. William Thomson ; two 

 Scaly Ground Doves (Scardafella squamosa) from Brazil, pre- 

 sented by Mr. William de Castro ; a Cockateel (Calopsitta 

 novce-hollandice) from Australia, presented by Mr. H. H. James ; 

 a Ring-necked Parrakeet {Palaornis torquatus) from India, pre- 

 sented by Mrs. Hill ; a Yellow-billed Sheathbill {Chionis alba) 

 from Cape Town, presented by Mr. R. C. Ashton ; nine 

 Barbary Turtle Doves ( Turtur nsorius) from Africa, presented 

 by Mr. E. L. Armbrecht ; a Red Brocket {Cariacus rufus), a 

 Great American Egret (Ardea egretta) from Brazil, deposited ; 

 three Sandwich Island Geese {Bernicla sandvicensis) from the 

 Sandwich Islands, a Wryneck {Inyx torquilla), European, pur- 

 chased ; a Wapiti Deer [Cervus canadensis), a Barbary Wild 

 Sheep {Ovis tragelaphus), a Variegated Sheldrake {Tadorna 

 variegata), nine Summer Ducks {Mx sponsa) brei in the 

 Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Great Southern Comet (1887 a).— -Dr. J. M. 

 Thome, of the Cordoba Observatory, has published in the 

 Astronomical Journal, No. 156, some interesting particulars as 

 to the appearance and observed positions of the great comet 

 which he discovered on January 18. On the 21st it became 

 evident that the comet was, in effect, all tail, the head being 

 much the fainter part of the object, and being at least 15' in 

 diameter, very thin, and without nucleus or condensation of any 

 kind. After various attempts at determining its co-ordinates, Dr. 

 Thome adopted the plan of moving the telescope along the axis of 

 the tail, uniil reaching a point beyond which nothing of a nebulous 

 character could be distin^^uished, and determining its position. 

 These points were a;)proximately half a degree in advance of the 

 true centre of the nebulosity, and nearly in its axis. The obser- 

 vations of position extend from January 21 to January 27. With 

 regard to the appearance of the comet to the naked eye. Dr. 

 Thome remarks that it was a beautiful sight — a narrow, straight, 

 sharply-defined, graceful tail, over 40' long, shining with a soft 

 starry light against the dark sky, beginning apparently without a 

 head, and gradually widening and faiing as it extended 

 upwards. 



The same number of the Astrunomical yournal contains a 

 discussion of the orbit of the comet by Mr. S. C. Chandler, Jun. 

 The observations extend from January 20 to 29, and were made 

 at Melbourne, Co.doba, the Cape, and Windsor, N.S.W. Two 

 sets of elements— which do not materially differ, considering the 

 extreme uncertainty of the observations — have been obtained ; 

 the first by taking the Cordoba observations as they stand, the 



second by attempting to determine the true centre of the 

 nebulosity from Dr. Thome's statement that the recorded posi- 

 tions are 30' in advance of the true centre and nearly in its axis. 

 The elements are : — 



I. II. 



T (G.M.T.) 1887 Jan. 9-080 Jan. 8730 



o) ... 173 36''2 ... 174 48-6 



fl ... 130 46*2 ... 132 48*6 



i ... 61 48-9 ... 57 52-1 



log ^ ... 8*30484 ... 8 '36280 



Mr. Chandler points out that these elements are very unlike 

 those of comet 1880 I., with which this comet was at first 

 associated. In fact the orbit found resembles more those 

 assigned to the comets of 1680 and 1689, than that of the group 

 1843-80-82. 



New Minor Planets. — A new minor planet. No. 267, 

 was discovered by M. Charlois at Nice on May 27. Another, 

 No. 268, was discovered by M. Borelly at Marseilles on June 9. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK i2>Z7 JUNE 19-25. 



/I7OR 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 19. 

 San rises, 3h. 44m, ; souths, I2h. om. 58"8s. ; sets, 20h. 17m. ; 



decl. on meridian, 23° 26' N. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 



I4h. 8m. 

 Moon (New on June 21) rises, 2h. 4I 



sets, l8h. im. ; decl. on meridian. 



Planet. Rises. Souths, 



h. m. h. m. 



5 21 ... 13 39 ... 



7 21 ... 15 9 ... 



2 50 ... II 2 ... 



14 28 ... 19 47 ••• 



5 43 - 13 47 - 



* Indicates that the setting is that of the following morning. 



h. 

 .. 18 ... Sun at greatest declination north; longest 

 day in northern latitudes. 

 5 ... Saturn in conjunction with and 2° 26' north 

 of the Moon. 

 .. 10 ... Mercury in conjunction with and 3° 27' north 

 of the Moon. 



Mercury 

 Venus .. 

 Mars .. 

 Jupiter.. 

 Saturn.. 



June. 

 21 



23 

 23 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



Emin Pasha contributes to the Scottish Geographical 



S iciety's Journal an account of an exploration he made recently 



of part of Lake Albert Nyanza, which contains some data 



bearing on the probable origin and the physical geography of 



