July 15, 1897] 



NATURE 



255 



science, Pasteur. The Zoological Gardens at Amsterdam are 

 described in Maci/iiiian's Magazine by Mr. C. J. Cornish ; and 

 Mr. H. W. Seton-Karr narrates in the Century his hunting 

 experiences in Africa and India, referring incidentally to his 

 discovery of palceolithic flint implements in Somaliland. An 

 interesting account of the discovery of the American continent 

 by the Cabotfe, illustrated from original documents, autograph 

 letters and ancient maps, is contributed to Scribner's Magazine 

 by the Marquis of Dufferin. 



The Department of Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, has 

 recently issued the second edition of " A Companion for the 

 Queensland Student of Plant Life, and Botany Abridged," by 

 Mr. F. ^L Bailey, the Colonial Botanist. Many of the notes 

 are given with a view to assist school teachers, and particularly 

 those residing in the country districts, to some of the more pro- 

 minent distinctive characteristics of common plants. We notice 

 that copies of the pamphlet can be obtained free by persons 

 interested, on application to the Under-Secretary for Agricul- 

 ture, Brisbane, — A translation, by C. S. Fox, of the official 

 ^' Guide to the Royal Collections of Dresden," comes to us 

 from Albanus, of Dresden. In it will be found very full informa- 

 tion as to the collections housed in the Museum (Zwinger), 

 the Royal Palace, the Johanneum Museum, the Albertinum, 

 and the Japanese Palace. It remains to be said that the Guide 

 is very well got up.— The third report of the Commissioners of 

 the Whitechapel Public Library and Museum has reached us, 

 and contains much interesting matter. Science is not overlooked 

 in Wiitechapel, as the list of sixteen lectures by well-known men 

 of science shows. The library contains, in its lending branch, 

 541 books dealing with natural science, and in works relating to 

 voyages and travels 614 books. In the reference department 

 natural science is represented by 444 works, and voyages and 

 travels by 89. We are sorry to see that there was a falling-off in 

 the number of readers of books dealing with the subjects men- 

 tioned, as compared with the numbers given in the preceding 

 report. 



Among official American publications relating to botanical 

 and agricultural science recently received, are the following :— 

 Twentieth Annual Report of the Connecticut Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station for 1896, chiefly devoted to the properties and 

 analysis of fertilising manures ; Studies on American Grasses, 

 being Bulletin No. 8 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

 Division of Agrostology (New or little-known Grasses, by F. 

 Lawson-Scribner ; Leaf-structure oi Joitvea and ai Erap-ostis 

 ^binsiflora, by Miss E. L. Ogden) ; Bulletins Nos. 141-144 of 

 the Michigan State Agricultural College Experiment Station 

 (Forage crops and Wheat ; Small fruit trials at the College ; 

 Fruit tests at South Haven ; Vegetables, old and new). 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Syrian Bear ( Ursus syriacus, 9 ) from the 

 hills north of Bagdad, presented by Mr. B. T. Ffinch ; a Ring- 

 tailed Coati [Nasua rufa) from South America, presented by 

 Mr. J. B. Gowing ; an Osprey (Pandion haliiCtus) from 

 Aberdeenshire, presented by Major-General Russell, M.P. ; a 

 Cayman-Island Amazon {Chrysotis caymanensis) from the Cay- 

 man Islands, presented by Mr. C. Home Sinclair ; a Blue- 

 fronted Amazon (Chrysotis cestiva) from South America, pre- j 

 sented by Mrs. Reynell ; a Shag {P/ialacrocorax ,^aculits) ! 

 British, presented by Mr. Edward Step; a CommonlChame- ' 

 leon {Chameleon vulgaris) from North Africa, presented by 

 Miss Amy Meyer ; a European Tree Frog {Hyla aborea) from 

 Southern Europe, presented by Mrs. Nicolas Wood ; a 

 Bonnet Monkey (albino) (Macacus sinicus, i ) from India, a 

 Rock-hopper Penguin {Eudyptes chrysocome) from the Antipodes 

 Islands, a Thick-billed Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) from 

 NO. 1446, VOL. 56] 



the Stewart Islands, a Graceful Ground Dove (Geopclia cuneata), 

 two Ganga Cocka-ioos (Callocephalon galeatuin) kom Ayi^ixaWa., 

 deposited ; a Dwarf Finch {Spermestes nana) from Madagascar, 

 two Barred-shouldered Doves (Geopelia humeralis) from Aus- 

 tralia, two Chinese Turtle Doves (Turtur chinensis) from India, 

 purchased ; an English Wild Bull {Bos taurus), two Common 

 Blue-Birds {Sialia ■wi/soni), four White-backed Pigeons 

 (Coluniba leuconota), two Triangular-spotted Pigeons (Columba 

 guinea), a Spotted Pigeon {Columba maculosa), a Crested 

 Pigeon {Ocyphaps lophotes), an Auriculated Dove {Zenaida 

 auriculata), bred in the Gardens. 



067? ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Jupiter's Satellites.— In a previous note we referred to 

 the period of rotation of the third satellite of Jupiter as deter- 

 mined by recent observations made by Mr. Douglass at the 

 Lowell Observatory. In the current number of the Astro- 

 nomischen Nachricliten (No. 3432) he communicates a more 

 detailed description of the observations, together with repro- 

 ductions of the surface markings, which led him to the deter- 

 mination of the length of the period of rotation. Attempts 

 were at first made to discover signs of surface movement within 

 three to five hours of continuous observation. None, however, 

 could be detected, so that the 24-hour period had to be dis- 

 carded as untenable. A large series of sketches showed that 

 the satellite's period was nearly the same as its period of 

 revolution, namely, jd. 5ih. + i •2h. The surface markings 

 seem to take the form of lines, their maximum width being 

 estimated at less than o"'i, or 200 miles. The fourth satellite 

 was also observed minutely, and on its surface were seen mark- 

 ings which are described as similar to those found on the third. 

 Its period of rotation was also noted as being probably nearly 

 equal to its period of revolution round its primary. Prof. W. H. 

 Pickering's discovery of the variability in the elongation of the 

 first satellite seems to be confirmed by Mr. Douglass, who 

 found this satellite at the time of observation " most remarkably 

 elongated." 



The Constant ok Aberration.— Mr. C. L. Doolittle has 

 recently concluded a discussion of several observations with the 

 object of determining the value of the constant of aberration 

 {Astr. Journal, No. 406). The series of observations used 

 possessed some special advantages for such an investigation, 

 since the stars were distributed very uniformly throughout the 

 twenty-four hours of right ascension, and each group was 

 observed both morning and evening at approximately the same 

 interval before and after midnight. In all, 107 pairs of stars 

 were used, the series extending from 1892 October 10 to 

 1893 December 27 : these included 1744 determinations before, 

 and 1052 determinations after midnight. The final value 

 obtained, namely, 



2o""55 + O'oi 

 seems rather high when compared with those obtained by other 

 investigators. The following brief table brings together a few 

 of the results previously determined. 



1843 

 1844 

 1849 

 1850 

 1861 

 1882 

 1883 

 1888 

 1895 



Struve 

 C. A. F. 



Maclear 



Main 



Downing 



Nyren 



Kiistner 



Newcomb 



Peters 



20-445 



20-503 



20-481 



20-53 



20-335 



20378 



20-492 



20-313 



20-511 



Catalogue ok 480 Stars for Zone Observations 

 between -20" AND -8o^ — Ten years ago Prof. Auwers pub- 

 li hed alistin the Monthly Notices of 480 stars to serve as standards 

 for zone observations. It was then suggested that these stars 

 sl-.ould be systematically observed at those observatories situated 

 in southern latitudes. Sufficient material has, however, been 

 obtained to enable Prof. Auwers to publish in the current 

 number of the Astronoinischen Nachrichten (No. 3431-32) a 

 complete catalogue of the positions of these 480 stars, together 

 with a selection of nineteen other southern fimdamental stars. 

 Prof. Auwers mentions, however, that we must not treat the 



