September 30, 1897] 



NATURE 



525 



Messrs. A. Gallenkamp and Co., makers of chemical 

 apparatus, wish it to be known that, in the new premises to 

 which they have just removed, they propose to exhibit in their 

 show-room examples of new instruments described in scientific 

 periodicals, and of apparatus kept in stock. 



A BIOGRAPHY and an account of the botanical labours of the 

 late Prof. Julius Sachs, by Prof. Goebel, appears in the pages 

 of Flora ; and one of the late Fritz Miiller, by Prof Ludwig, in 

 the Botanisches Centralblatl. Each memoir is accompanied by 

 a copious bibliography. 



Another new botanical journal is announced from America, 

 the first number to appear on October I. It is to be named The 

 Plant World, and will be an illustrated monthly journal of 

 popular botany. " It will," says the Botanical Gazette, " pre- 

 sent the facts of plant-life in simple popular language, and aim 

 to interest those who have no inclination for a systematic course 

 of study. The purpose is to be scientific, but not technical." 

 The editor will be Dr. J. F. Knowlton, of the U.S. National 

 Museum. 



Among papers on physiological botany recently received from 

 America are "The Curvature of Roots" by Mr. D. T. 

 McDougal, and "The Role of Water in Growth" by Mr. C. B. 

 Davenport. In the former the author points out that the 

 curvatures of stems are not due to the same causes as those of 

 tendrils or of many roots. The curvature of roots is due to the 

 excessive elongation of the internal layers of the cortex of the 

 side which becomes convex. The development and organisa tion 

 of irritability in roots has been widely different from that in 

 stems. The organs of the irritable mechanism of roots exhibit 

 a physiological rather than a morphological differentiation. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Badger {Meles taxiis) from Worcestershire, 

 presented by Mrs. Cheape ; a Macaque Monkey (Alacacus 

 cynomolgHs) from India, presented by Mrs. B. Hudson ; a Red 

 and Yellow Macaw (^Ara chloroptera) from South America, pre- 

 sented by Mr. J. W. Drysdale ; a Peregrine Falcon [Falco pere- 

 grinus), British, presented by Major Hawkins Fisher ; a Lesser 

 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo {Cacatua sulphiirea) from Moluccas, 

 presented by Mr. John Paget ; a Crowned Lemur {Lemur coro- 

 natus) from Madagascar, two Korin Qtz.z^\\^% {Gazella rufifrons, 

 (J 9 ) from Senegal; an Alexandrine Parrakeet (PaliEornis 

 aUxandri) from India, deposited ; two Common Sandpipers 

 {Trtngoides hypoleuciis), European, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Bond's Collected Works —It is stated in Science that, at 

 the request of the daughters of George Bond, Prof. Holden, 

 Director of the Lick Observatory, has undertaken to arrange the 

 manuscript material in their hands in an orderly form. The 

 work will be entitled "Memorials of William Cranch Bond, 

 Director of the Harvard College Observatory, 1840-59, and of 

 his Son, George Phillips Bond, Director of the Harvard College 

 Observatory, 1859-65," and will be published by Messrs. C. A. 

 Murdock and Co., San Francisco, and by Messrs. Lemcke and 

 Biichner, New York City. The book will be well illustrated. 

 It is hoped, by the kindness of Prof. E. C. Pickering, to repro- 

 duce two fine steel engravings of the Great Comet of 1858 and 

 of the nebula of Orion, from the plates of the Annals of the 

 Harvard College Observatory. 



Eclipse Exi-EnrriON ok the Lick Observatory.— We 

 learn from the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the 

 Pacific, that the Lick Observatory expedition to observe the 

 forthcoming solar eclipse will consist of Prof. Campbell and 

 volunteer assistants. The expenses of the expedition will be 

 met from a fund provided by the late Colonel C. F. Crocker. 



The programme will include spectroscopic and photographic 

 work, and an equipment will be taken to obtain the following 

 results, among others: — Photographs of the spectrum of the 

 reversing layer ; spectrum photographs having for their special 

 object the determination of the velocity of rotation of the 

 corona ; photographs of the corona on a large scale (40 feet 

 long), on the plan employed by Prof. Schaebcrle in Chile ; 

 photographs of the corona with a portrait lens ; photographic 

 photometry of the corona. 



A Remarkable Binary Star. — Recent observations leave 

 practically no room for doubt that the close double star /3 883 = 

 Lalande 9091 (R.A. = 4h. 44m. 33s., Decl. + 10° 52', Mags. 

 7-8 and 8), has the shortest period of any known binary. The 

 star was discovered by Mr. Burnham in 1879, and Schiaparelli 

 made a number of measures of it between 1887 and 1895, and 

 upon combining these observations with other measures, Dr. 

 T. J. J. See was forced to the conclusion that the period was 

 only a few years. Further considerations give support to this 

 view, and now Dr. See (Monthly Notices, R.A.S. , June 1897), 

 from a discussion of the whole of the facts of observation, con- 

 cludes that the period is only 5-5 years. 



The elements of the orbit are given as follows : — 



P = 5-5 years 0= o"-62i 



T= 1896-40 ,, n = 20°-6 



€ = 0760 ,, i = Sz''-^! 



\ = 273° -83 

 Apparent orbit : — 



Length of major axis = o"'67 

 Length of minor axis = o"*i6 

 Angle of major axis = I9'''5 

 Angle of periastron = 3i8°*o 

 Distance of star from centre o"*07 



Referring to this remarkable object. Dr. See says :— 



' ' The discovery of an object revolving in a period of 5*5 years 

 is an achievement of some philosophic significance in the history 

 of double-star astronomy. In the time of Sir John Herschel 

 the most rapid of known binaries was ^ Herculis, with a period 

 of 35 years. Twenty years ago the remarkable object 42 Comae 

 Berenices had reduced the shortest period to about 25 years, and 

 in 1887 5 Equulei brought it down to 11 '5 years, k Pegasi 

 (/3 989) has since been shown to revolve in a similar period. 



In 3 883 we have for the first time a visible binary with a period 

 fairly approaching those of the spectroscopic binaries recently 

 discovered, and we seem assured that at last a link has been 

 found connecting the two classes of objects. It is probable 

 that other stars will disclose even shorter periods, for there is 

 no reason why there should not be close doubles with periods of 

 a single year or less. It will be an interesting object of future 

 research to fill in the intervening steps between visible binaries 

 with periods of a few years and the spectroscopic binaries re- 

 volving in a few days or months. 



" The more critical inquiry into the motion of close doubles 

 will commend itself to the attention of double-star observers wijth 

 great telescopes, and, on the other hand, it may be hoped that the 

 study of the relative motion in line of sight of the components 

 of binaries like 883 will be taken up by some of our great 

 observatories equipped with powerful spectroscopic appliances." 



FORTHCOMLWG BOOKS OF SCIENCE. 



lyiR. EDWARD ARNOLD'S list contains :—" Higher 

 Algebra," by Dr. R. Lachlan ; " The Elements of Trigo- 

 nometry," by Dr. R. Lachlan ; " Analytical Geometry," by Dr. 

 R. Lachlan ; " The Elements of Euclid," Books HI., IV. and 

 VI., by Dr. R. Lachlan ; " Dynamics for Engineering Students," 

 by Prof. W. E. Dalby ; " Elementary Natural Philosophy," by 

 Alfred Earl ; " An P^lementary Chemistry," by W. A. Shen- 

 stone ; "Physical Chemistry," by Dr. Alexander Scott; 



i " Practical Chemistry," by Dr. E. H. Cook; "A Manual of 

 Physiology," by Dr. Leonard Hill ; " A Manual of Botany," 



' by David Houston; Arnold's Practical Science Manuals: 

 " Steam Boilers," by George Halliday ; "Agricultural Chem- 

 istry," by T. S. Dymond ; " Electric Traction," by Ernest 

 Wilson ; " Lectures on Sound, Light, and Heat, by Dr. 

 Richard Wormell, new edition. 



Messrs. Bailliere, Tindall, and Cox's forthcoming books in- 



NO. 1457. VOL. 56] 



