208 



NA TURE 



[July i, 1S97 



the spectrum of o Ononis {Monthly Notices, vol. Ivii. p. 8). 

 The existence of carbon absorption in the solar spectrum, how- 

 ever, is of itself, as Lockyer long ago insisted, a sufficient 

 connecting link between stars resembling the sun and stars in 

 which carbon absorption is predominant. A classification which 

 excludes these stars from the evolutionary series cannot, there- 

 fore, be regarded as final. 



It is perhaps unfortunate that the new classification was 

 adopted prior to the discovery of terrestrial sources of helium. 

 Many of the " Orion" lines are now known to be due to this 

 gas, but not all of them, so that these lines may be sub-divided 

 into groups. In the preface to the volume Prof. Pickering 

 remarks : "As the investigations were made several years ago, 

 they could not take account of the recent discoveries respecting 

 the spectrum of helium, which, if known at the time, might 

 have had an important influence upon some of the conclusions. 

 Such modifications could not now be introduced without practi- 

 cally rewriting the treatise, which is therefore published without 

 change. A discussion of the relation of the spectra of stars of 

 the Orion type to that of helium has, however, been made, and 

 is contained in the supplementary notes." 



The question of classification, however, is not the sole feature 

 of interest possessed by the spectroscopic work at Harvard. 

 Besides this, there are several tables which give the wave- 

 lengths of the lines depicted on the photographs, a general 

 catalogue of the spectra, and copious remarks on the spectra of 

 individual stars. In the case of the composite spectra it has 

 been noted that in all but one, o Andromedse, the spectrum of 

 the earlier type was the fainter. The peculiarities of the 

 spectrum of 7 Cassiopeia:, already recorded by Lockyer 

 (Nature, vol. li. p. 425), have been fully confirmed, and the 

 additional fact observed that the entire region of the spectrum 

 from \ 41547 to 3927-1 appears brighter than the rest of the 

 spectrum, although the brightening is not homogeneous. The 

 possible importance of this feature is suggested by its occurrence 

 also in stars of the first two groups of the new classification. 



The complex phenomena in the variable spectrum of /8 Lyrre 

 are fully detailed, and the composite character of the dark line 

 spectrum detected at Kensington by Sir Norman Lockyer receives 

 independent confirmation. It is concluded that " the bright 

 bands accompany a spectrum approximately of Group IV. D 

 {e.g. 7 Orionis), which oscillates periodically over one of Group 

 VII. D, division c " {e.g. rj Leonis), a result which agrees very 

 closely with Lockyer's conclusion that the two dark line 

 stars were not very unlike 7 Orionis and /8 Orionis. It is 

 pointed out that the supposition of a system of three bodies 

 explains most of the spectral phenomena of )3 Lyras, but not all 

 of them, and the rapid and complex transformations require to 

 be continuously followed before a complete explanation can be 

 given. 



While fully aware of the difficulty attending the satisfactory 

 reproduction of stellar spectra, we think the value of the 

 volume would have been greatly increased by some attempt to 

 give copies of photographs of as many as possible of the typical 

 stars. Without such reproductions the classification can scarcely 

 be adopted by others taking up the work unless photographs of 

 all the typical stars are first obtained. In spite of this draw- 

 back, the volume is a magnificent contribution to celestial 

 spectroscopy, and will be of the greatest value to those pursuing 

 similar investigations. Prof. Pickering and his assistants are to 

 be congratulated upon the excellence of this additional con- 

 tribution to the Henry Draper Memorial. A. Fowler. 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE 

 ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 

 jV/T OST of the arrangements for the approaching meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science 

 have now been made, and are announced in the preliminary 

 circular of the local committee. The meeting will be held at 

 Detroit, Michigan, August 9-14. All the meetings, both 

 general and sectional, will be held in the Detroit Central High 

 School. 



The chairman of the local committee is General Russell A. 

 Alger, Secretary of War of the United States. The committee 

 contains a great number of distinguished names, including seven 

 or eight presidents of colleges, and several governors, senators, 

 and foreign ministers. 



NO. 1444, VOL. 56] 



The first session of the American Association, on Monday 

 morning, August 9, will be opened by Prof. Theodore Gill, 

 senior vice-president, owing to the death of President Edward 

 D. Cope. The President-elect, Prof, Wolcott Gibbs, will be 

 introduced, and addresses of welcome will be made by Mayor 

 Maybury and by the ex-Minister to Spain, Mr. Thomas W, 

 Palmer, after which the sections will meet. The addresses bv the 

 several vice-presidents of the sections will be as follows :— Prof. 

 Carl Barus, to the section of physics, on long range temperature 

 and pressure variables in physics ; by Prof Wm. J. McGee, to 

 the section of anthropology, on the science of humanity ; and 

 by Prof J. C. White, to the section of geology and geography, 

 on the Pittsburg coal bed (the latter to be read in his absence at 

 the Geological Congress at St. Petersburg) ; Prof. W. W. 

 Beman, to the section of astronomy and mathematics, on a 

 chapter in the history of mathematics ; by Mr. Richard T. 

 Colburn, to the section of social and economic science, on 

 improvident civilisation ; and by Prof. L. O. Howard (nominated 

 to succeed the late Prof G. Brown Goode), to the section, 

 of zoology, on a subject to be hereafter announced ; Prof. W. 

 P. Mason, to the section of chemistry, on sanitary chemistry ; 

 by Prof George F. Atkinson, to the section of botany, on 

 experimental morphology ; and by Prof. John Galbraith, to 

 the section of mechanical science and engineering, on applied 

 mechanics. 



A general session will be held on the evening of the opening 

 day, and Prof Theodore Gill will deliver, as the presidential ad- 

 dress, a memorial of the life and work of the late president, 

 Prof Edward D. Cope, after which will follow a reception by 

 the citizens of Detroit. 



August 10-13 ^ill be occupied as usual by section meetings, 

 and to some extent by excursions of the sections. A new 

 arrangement has been made by which the affiliated societies will 

 occupy a portion of the time heretofore allotted to the sections ; 

 and these meetings will be open to members of the Association, 

 as those of the several sections are to members of the affiliated 

 societies. Only three societies meet this year in connection with 

 the Association, namely, the Geological Society of America, the 

 American Chemical Society, and the Society for the Promotion 

 of Agricultural Science. These several societies meet on August 

 9-1 1. The Association of Economic Entomologists anticipates 

 the others, holding its meetings on August 6 and 7. Of the 

 other Societies usually affiliated with the Association, the 

 American Mathematical Society will meet at Toronto on 

 August 17-18; and the Society for the Promotion of Engineer- 

 ing Education on August 16-18. 



The closing meeting of the Association will be held on the 

 evening of August 13, followed by a reception. 



There will be a general excursion by steamer to St. Claire 

 Flats on August 14, the contemplated trip to Buffalo and Niagara 

 Falls having been abandoned. 



Attention is again called to the fact that members of foreign 

 scientific associations of a national character are admitted with- 

 out fee to the meetings of the American Association. 



Matters relating to local arrangements, transportation, &c., are 

 in the hands of the local secretary, Mr. John A. Russell, 

 No. 401 Chamber of Commerce, Detroit, Mich. Hotel and 

 boarding-house accommodation is arranged by Mr. Edward W. 

 Pendleton, of the same address. Nominations to membership 

 and letters relating to the general business of the Association 

 should be sent to Miss C. A. Watson, assistant secretary, Salem, 

 Mass. , until August 3 ; after that date to the American 

 Association, Detroit, Mich. 



The circular repeats the announcement that after the close of the 

 meeting it is expected that members of the American Association 

 will go in a body to Toronto to join in' welcoming the British 

 Association to America. Special rates of fare will probably be 

 secured for this purpose. 



The several sections will issue preliminary circi>lars. The 

 first to appear is that of the anthropological section, which states 

 that Tuesday, August 10, will be devoted to folklore, to which 

 the American Folklore Society has been invited. On Wednes- 

 day the report of the committee on the ethnography of the white 

 race in Arnerica will Vje presented in the morning, to be followed 

 by discussion ; the subject of psychology will occupy the after- 

 noon. Thursday forenoon will be devoted to the archaeology 

 and ethnology of Mexico and Central America ,- afternoon, to the 

 United States. On Friday morning the report of the committee 

 on anthropologic teaching will be received ; and in the afternoon 

 the subject for consideration will be somatology. 



