March 31, 1892] 



NATURE 



521 



more important discoveries of the last six years, and to make 

 such general improvements as he has thought likely to be of 

 benefit to his readers. 



The April number of Nalural Science, the new monthly re- 

 view of scientific progress, has articles on factors in the evolu- 

 tion of the Mammalia, by Prof. C. Lloyd Morgan ; some salient 

 points in the study of mammals during 1891, by R. Lydekker ; 

 the physical features and geology of Borneo, by F. H, Hatch j 

 great lakes, by Clement Reid ; life-zones in Lower Palceozoic 

 rocks, by J. E. Marr, F. R. S. ; and a new group of flowering 

 plants, by A, B. Rendle. 



Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co. 

 have issued a second edition of Mr, B. H. Chamberlain's 

 " Things Japanese. " The work consists of a number of in- 

 dependent articles, arranged alphabetically, and giving an 

 account of the Japanese people, their country, their ideas, and 

 their industries. It has been enlarged by the insertion of over 

 twenty new articles, while the old have been corrected up to 

 date, and re-written in many parts. The style is compact, fresh, 

 and lucid, and at the end of the more important articles the 

 author gives a list of books in which further information may be 

 obtained. Several subjects have been intrusted to specialists. 

 Prof, Milne contributes the article on "Geology," and Mr, 

 Mason those on " Telegraphs," " Chess," and the game of " Go." 



The "School Calendar" for 1892 has been published, this 

 being the fifth year of issue. Mr. F. Storr, referring in the 

 preface to the movement for the registration of teachers, notes 

 that head masters who have hitherto ignored or sneered at the 

 teaching diplomas of the University of Cambridge are beginning 

 to send up their assistants for the examinations of the Syndicate, 

 or even to enter themselves. 



The new number of I' Anthropologic (tome iii.. No. i) 

 opens with an interesting paper on A. de Quatrefages, by Emile 

 Cartailhac. The paper is followed by a useful list of the prin- 

 cipal publications by M. de Quatrefages. M. Marcellin Boule 

 contributes some excellent notes on the formation of fossiliferous 

 deposits in caves. There are also papers on the tumulus-dolmen 

 of Marque-Dessus (commune d'Azereix, Hautes- Pyrenees), by 

 General Pothier ; on the respective association of anthropo- 

 logical characters, by Dr. R. Collignon ; and on the ethno- 

 logical position of the peoples of Ferghanah, by Paul Gault. 



The U.S. Geological Survey has lately issued a number of 

 important papers in its series of Bulletins. One of them (No. 

 69) contains a classed and annotated bibliography of fossil 

 insects ; another (No. 71), an index to the known fossil insects 

 of the world, including Myriapods and Arachnids. No, 72 

 gives the altitudes between Lake Superior and the Rocky 

 Mountains ; No, 74, the minerals of North Carolina ; No, 75, 

 a record of North American geology for 1887 to 1889 inclusive ; 

 No, 79, an account of a late volcanic eruption in Northern 

 Carolina, and its peculiar lava. No, 76 is the second edition of 

 a dictionary of altitudes in the United States, 



We have received Parts 41 and 42 of Cassell's " New Popu- 

 lar Educator." Both, like the previous parts, are carefully 

 illustrated. In addition to the cuts introduced into the text 

 Part 41 has a coloured picture of " the Spectre of the Brocken," 

 and Part 42 a coloured map of the Balkan Peninsula. 



The Hunterian Oration, delivered by Dr. J. Hutchinson, 

 F.R.S., in the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons on 

 February 14 last, has now been published by Messrs. J. and A. 

 Churchill. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey (Macacus cynomolgtis <J ) 

 from India, presented by Mr. F. D. Lyon ; a Rhesus Monkey 



NO. I i;o, VOL. 45] 



{Macacus rhesus ? ) from India, presented by Mr. J. G. Wythe ; 

 a Brush Bronze-winged Pigeon {Phaps elegans 9 ) from Australia, 

 presented by Mr. H. H. Sharland, F.Z.S. ; two Red Kangaroos 

 {Macropiis rufus 9 9 ) from Australia, deposited ; two Great 

 American Egrets {Ardea egretta), two Snowy Egrets {Ardea 

 candidissima) from America, two Buff-backed Egrets {Ardea 

 russata), European, purchased; an Eland [Oreas canna i), 

 born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Planet Jupiter.— During the last year or so the planet 

 Jupiter has been the subject of many observations both at home 

 and abroad. The curious markings that become visible from 

 time to time have been very carefully watched, and the changes 

 which they have been seen to undergo likewise recorded. Those 

 who take a special interest in these observations will find in 

 IJ Astronomic, under the title of "Recent Discoveries on 

 Jupiter," a most excellent article written by M. Camille 

 Flammarion. The author, after giving a description of the 

 general state of the planet that can be gathered from a telescopic 

 and spectroscopic survey of his surface, adds a resume oi the im- 

 portant observations made by M. Terby, at Louvain, which were 

 originally addressed to the Belgian Academy. Many very- 

 important facts relating to the positions which the dark and 

 light spots take up are heVe collated, and the numerous illustra- 

 tions impress one strongly wiih the vastness and rapidity of the 

 changes that are continually in progress. 



Astronomy and Astro- Physics for March contains also some 

 notes on this planet, communicated by Mr. H. C. Wilson, of 

 the Goodsell Observatory, who, armed with a 16-inch equatorial 

 during the winter of 1891, completed many sketches, some of 

 which are here exhibited. These observations seem to indicate 

 that as the dark belt approached the great red spot which i& 

 situated just north of it, the latter appeared to force it to one 

 side, " there being always a very narrow line of white between 

 the belt and spot." This fact seems to show that, whatever 

 the spot may be composed of, it has the power of dissipating 

 the clouds in close proximity to it. 



The Objective Prism.— Prof. Pickering, in the March 

 number of Astronomy and Astro-Physics, communicates a very 

 interesting article relative to the method of photographing the 

 spectra of the stars with an objective prism. As an account of 

 this method has already been described in these columns in the 

 review of the catalogue published under the name of "The 

 Draper Catalogue," it is unnecessary for us to enter into the 

 details again. At the latter end of the article he mentions also 

 that " a still further advance will be made with the great photo- 

 graphic telescope, the gift of Miss C. W. Bruce." This instru- 

 ment is stated to be similar to the " Bache telescope," but 

 three times as large, having an aperture of 24 inches. The 

 spectra of stars down to the 10th and i Ith magnitude are expected 

 to be obtained with it. The engraving which accompanies the 

 text illustrates the method of attaching the large prism to the 

 object-glass end of the telescope. 



Variation of Latitude.— Dr. B. A. Gould, in the 

 Astronomical Journal, No. 257, presents us with some of the 

 work which he has been undertaking with regard to the periodic 

 variation of the latitude at Cordoba, from observations made 

 with the meridian circle. The results obtained by Dr. Chandler 

 showed that by assuming a period of fourteen months, the 

 variations in the latitude, determined between the years i860 

 and 1875, could be accounted for. Dr. Gould thought 

 that the same period might be found to satisfy the Cordoba 

 observations, and the compulations that he has made form the 

 subject of the present inquiry. Owing to the fact that this num- 

 ber of the Journal does not contain the whole of the work (the 

 latter part of which will be concluded in the next one), we are 

 not able to give the results which he has obtained, but we can 

 mention a point that seems of importance, and which tends to 

 corroborate Dr. Chandler's results. 



In a table showing the mean excess of the calculated, above 

 the observed, declinations, the author remarks that " there are 

 two facts which attract attention : first that the times of maxima 

 and minima of the curve are approximately comcident with 

 those deduced by Dr. Chandler from contemporaneous obser- 

 vations in other places ; and, secondly, that the corresponding 



