Sept. 29, 1887] 



NATURE 



527 



publisherof the Sin Francisco Chronicle came forward and offered 

 to provide observers, pay for telegrams, warnings, and so forth, 

 if the Government would allow the instnunents to remain. The 

 offer has been accepted. 



We regret to announce the death of the Rev. W. S. Symonds, 

 well known as a geologist and archivologist. He died at 

 Cheltenham on September 15, and was buried at Pendock. He 

 was si.\ty-nine years of age. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 j.ajt week include a Pig-tailed M jnkey {iMacacus neiiustrinus i ) 

 from Java, presented by Mr. S. P. Grieve ; a Black-eared 

 Marmoset {Hapa'e penicillata) from Southeast Brazil, presented 

 by Mr. J. J. Foster; a White-collared Mangabey {Cercocebiis 

 collaris) from West Africa, presented by Mr. W. Tudor ; a 

 Vulpine Phalanger {Phalaitgisia vulpina) from Australia, pre- 

 sented by Mr. Oscar F. Armytage ; a Red Fox (Qinis fulvus) 

 from Canada, presented by Miss Cameron ; a Common Jackal 

 (Cams aurats) from Ceylon, presented by Capt. W. J. Geake ; 

 a Chinese Jay Thrush (Garrulax c/iincnsis) from China^ a Crested 

 Lark (Alaudacristala) from India, presented by Colonel Verner ; 

 a Pale- headed Tree Boa {Epicrates aiigulifor) from Bahama, 

 presented by Mr. II. A. Blake ; an Alligator Terrapin [Chefydra 

 serpentina) from North America, presented by Mr. G. S. 

 Blythe ; an Aldrovandi's Skink {Plestiodon aural us) from North 

 Africa, presented by Mr. Arthur Colls ; a Raven {Corvus corax), 

 British, deposited; two Crested Pigeons [Osj'phaps lophotes) bred 

 in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Cordoba Observatory. — The sixth volume of the 

 observations of the Cordoba Observatory, which has lecently 

 been publishel, is mainly occupied by the observations made in 

 the year 1875 for the great Zone Catalogue which Dr. Gould 

 brought to so successful a conclusion. In all, 38,121 stellar 

 positions were obtained in the year 1875, of which 22,315 were 

 made in zones, the zones bearing the numbers 620 to 754. The 

 remaining observations comprised 12,661 observations of 4373 

 stars for the General Catalogue, 1463 of circumpolar stars, and 

 1682 of stars for clock error. The individual members of certain 

 star clusters were also observed. The volume illustrates forcibly, 

 as do all the volumes issued by Dr. Gould, the energy, thorough- 

 ness, and system with which he carried out the great enterprise 

 he had undertaken. Every care was taken that the observations 

 should be as accurate, as well as numerous, as possible. For 

 the General Catalogue stars, all four microscopes were read and 

 the transits taken over three tallies of transit threads. For each 

 zone, two time-stars and a circumpolar at upper and at lover 

 transit were observed before the beginning of the zone, and the 

 same after, together with observations of level, collimation, and 

 nadir point. The separate determinations of the places of the 

 stars for the General Catalogue are given, as well as their mean 

 places in catalogue form. The tables used in the reduction of 

 the various zones are also printed, together with corrigenda 

 tables for the present and previous volumes, and an index to the 

 135 zones of this volume. 



New Minor Planet. — A new minor planet. No. 269, was 

 discovered by Ilerr Palisa on September 21 at Vienna. This is 

 the sixtieth discovered by this observer. 



Olbers' Comet, 1887. — The comet discovered by Mr. W. 

 II. Brooks on August 24 is now evidently the expected comet of 

 Olbers, 18 15 I. The following ephemeris for Paris midnight is 

 by M. Lebeuf (^i-Zr. Nach., No. 2805) : — 



1887. R.A. Ded. Log r. Log <i. Bright- 



li- m. s. o , ness. 



Oct. I II 3059 27 41-3 N. 0-0757 0-2731 1-71 



3 41 2 27 12-4 



5 51 o 26 41-1 00735 0-2714 1-74 



7 12 o 54 26 7-5 



9 10 42 25 31-9 0-0724 02709 1-75 



II 20 23 24 54-2 



13 2957 24 14-8 N. 0-0726 0-2715 1-75 



[The brightness on August 27 is taken as unity. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1887 OCTOBER 2-8. 



/"pOR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

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



is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on October 2 



Sun rises, 6h. 4m. ; souths, llh. 4911. 23-8*. ; sets, I7h. 35m. ; 



decl. on meridian, 3° 33' S. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 



l8h. 19m. 

 Moon (Full October 2, 4h.) rises, i8h. iim. ; souths, oh. 31m.* ; 



sets, 7h. 2m.*; decl. on meridian, 3° 16' N. 



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

 and setting those of the following morning. 



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



Corresponding 

 angles from vei- 

 tex to ri^ht for 

 inverted image. 



Oct. 



Star. 



Mag. Disap. 



Reap. 



Saturn, October 2. — Outer major axis of outer ring = 39" '7 ; 

 outer minor axis of outer ring = 13" "o ; southern surface visible. 



Variable Stars. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Entomological Society, September 7. — Dr. Sharp, Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Mr. Arthur Sidgwick, M.A., was elected a 

 Fellow. — Mr. Jenner-Weir exhibited a living larva oi Myrmeleon 

 europ(Tus, which he had taken at P'ontainebleau on August 6 last. 

 — Mr. Elisha exhibited a series of bred specimens of Zelleria 

 hepariella, Stn., and also, on behalf of Mr. C. S. Gregson, a 

 long series of varieties of Abraxas grossulariata. Mr. Stainton 

 remarked that the female of Zelleria hepariella had until lately 

 been considered a distinct species, and was known as Z. in- 



