498 



NATURE 



[March 21, 1901 



lines of somewhat greater wave-length. The bright lines accom- 

 panying K and He were reversed, and traversed by narrow, well- 

 defined dark lines. These last lines, and one of somewhat 

 shorter wave-length than H3, are the only sharply defined lines 

 in the spectrum, all of the others being broad and hazy, and 

 difficult to measure with accuracy. 



Clouds interfered with observations on February 25, but the 

 Nova was evidently much fainter than on the previous evening. 

 Its magnitude from visual comparisons was i '4, from photometric 

 measures, i '07. The spectrum differed slightly from that on 

 February 24. The lines H5, H7 and H0 were also reversed 

 and replaced by one or more narrow dark lines. 



On February 26 the magnitude from visual comparisons was 

 I "3, from photometric measures i '49. The changes in the 

 spectrum were slight. 



Observations of the position of the Nova were made by Mr. 

 J. A. Dunne, with the 8-inch meridian circle, on February 23, 

 24 and 25, with the result for 1900 o, R.A. 3h. 24m. 24s "02, 

 Decl. 4- 43'' 33' 42" •4- 



It therefore appears that on and before February 19, 1901, 

 the star was invisible, or at least fainter than the eleventh mag- 

 nitude. On February 21 its magnitude was 27, according 

 to Mr. Anderson. On February 22 its magnitude was 0*5, 

 perhaps becoming a little brighter on February 23, and then 

 diminishing, so that on February 25 its magnitude was i*i. Its 

 spectrum on February 22 and 23 was of the Orion type, nearly 

 continuous, traversed by narrow dark lines. During the next 

 twenty-four hours an extraordinary change took place, so that 

 on February 24 the spectrum resembled that of the other 

 Nov£E. It was traversed by bright and dark bands, and the 

 principal dark lines had accompanying bright lines of slightly 

 greater wave-length. 



During the last fourteen years, and since the general applica- 

 tion of photography to astronomy, eight new stars are known to 

 have appeared — Nova Persei, in 1887 ; Nova Aurigse, in 1891 ; 

 Nova Normse, in 1893 ; Nova Carinse, in 1895 ; Nova Centauri, 

 in 1895 ; Nova Sagittarii, in 1898 ; Nova Aquilse, in 1899 ; and 

 Nova Persei, in 1901. The second and last of these, which 

 were much brighter than the others, were found visually 

 by Dr. Anderson. All of the others were found by Mrs. 

 Fleming, from an examination of the Draper Memorial Photo- 

 graphs. Nova Aquilae was announced by telegraph, but has not 

 been described in these circulars. Its position for 1900 is R.A. 

 19b. 15m. "3, Decl. - 0° 19'. It was not seen on plates taken 

 on November i, 1898, and earlier, although stars of the 

 thirteenth magnitude appeared on some of them. On April 21, 

 1899, it was seventh magnitude. It appears on eighteen photo- 

 graphs taken during that summer, and on October 27, 1899, it 

 was tenth magnitude. In July, 1900, when it was discovered, 

 it was about twelfth magnitude. Seven bright lines — H^, He, 

 HS, H7, 4693, H)3 and the nebular line 5007— were seen in the 

 spectrum photographed on July 3, 1899. On September 7, 

 1899, H7 and a somewhat fainter line, which is probably 4959, 

 were the only bright lines visible. On October 27, 1899, Hy 

 and 5007 were alone visible and bright, so that the spectrum had 

 then become that of a gaseous nebula. 



Edward C. Pickering. 



NOTES. 

 Among other noteworthy remarks made by speakers at the 

 jubilee dinner of the Royal School of Mines, on March 13, was 

 one in which Sir George Kekewich, secretary of the Board of 

 Education, acknowledged that science must occupy a place in any 

 wise system of education. He said, " I should like to see the 

 day when no education can be regarded as a liberal education 

 which excludes a knowledge of science. In addition, I should 

 like to see no one matriculating at any University in this kingdom 

 who does not possess some knowledge of science. Indeed, I 

 should like to see it recognised as part of the general education 

 of every man who has any claims to possess a liberal education." 

 The dinner was largely attended by past and present professors 

 and students at the College. The chair was occupied by Sir 

 George Gabriel Stokes, and toasts were proposed and acknow- 

 ledged by the chairman. Sir Kenelm Digby, Prof, J. W. Judd, 

 Sir William Roberts-Austen, Sir George Kekewich, Sir William 



NO. 1638. VOL. 63] 



Huggins, Prof. Le Neve Foster, Mr. Bennett Brough, Prof. 

 W. A. Tilden, Prof. Milne, Mr. F. W. Rudler, Prof. Bauer 

 man, Prof. J. Perry and Mr. Hugh McNeill, the secretary. 

 The chairman described the gradual development of the School 

 of Mines, and referred to the humble way in which it was estab- 

 lished. " Even still," he remarked, " it bears indications of the 

 tentative mode of proceeding to which I have already alluded, 

 for Sir Norman Lockyer's elaborate work in astronomical spec- 

 troscopy, so far as taking observations on the heavenly bodies 

 is concerned, is carried on in buildings of the nature of sheds." 

 Sir William Roberts-Austen made mention of Stokes, Playfair, 

 Hofmann, Huxley, Tyndall, Warington Smyth, and other bril- 

 liant men of science who had been connected with the College; 

 and other speakers showed how professors and students have 

 played important parts in various fields of scientific and industrial 

 activity. 



The death is announced of M. Theodore Moutard, distin- 

 guished by his contributions to geometry. 



M. A. NoRMAND has been elected a correspondant of the 

 Paris Academy of Sciences, in succession to the late General 

 Alexis de Tillo. 



The ninth triennial conference of the German Meteorological 

 Society will be held at Stuttgart on April i, 2 and 3, the first 

 half of Passion week, as Easter week, the usual time of the 

 meeting, has been set apart for the Seismological Conference at 

 Strassburg. Hail will form one of the principal subjects for 

 discussion. 



It has been decided to hold the seventy-third meeting of the 

 German Association of Naturalists and Physicians at Hamburg 

 from September 22 to 28 next. In response to many repre- 

 sentations there has been a rearrangement of the sections, which 

 have hitherto numbered thirty-eight, but will in future be re- 

 duced to twenty-seven, and of these sixteen will be medical 

 sections. 



It is reported that the grave of Hippocrates has just been 

 discovered during excavations at Larissa, in Thessaly. A Royal 

 Commission has been sent to the place by the Greek Govern- 

 ment to take what measures may seem advisable. 



The British Medical Journal announces that Dr. C. W. 

 Daniels has been appointed superintendent and medical tutor of 

 the London School of Tropical Medicine, in succession to Dr. 

 D. C. Rees. Dr. Daniels served on the Royal Society's Malaria 

 Commission in 1898 for two years, and is now seconded for a 

 further period whilst filling his present appointment at the 

 London School of Tropical Medicine. 



The zoological lectures of the Zoological Society of London 

 will be delivered in the Society's meeting room this year on 

 Thursdays April 18, May 16, June 20 and July 18 at 4.30. The 

 first lecture will be given by Prof. C. Stewart, F.R.S., con- 

 servator at the Royal College of Surgeons, and will relate to the 

 various devices of nature for the protection and nourishment of 

 young fishes. The lectures are free to Fellows of the Society. 



The latest number of the Zeitschrift fiir zuissemchaftliche 

 Zoologie (vol. Ixix. part 2) contains three articles dealing with 

 invertebrates. The first, by Herr J. Grofs, treats of the ovary of 

 hemipterous insects ; in the second, Herr C. Dawydoff treats 

 of the process of regeneration among the brittle stars ; while in 

 the third, Herr O. Biitschli gives the results of his investigations 

 into the nature of siliceous and calcareous sponge-spicules. In 

 the latter it is shown that sponge-spicules, under the influence of 

 heat, display minute cavities, which it is inferred exist under 

 normal conditions, although too small to be detected. The 



