A 



PRIL 2, 1 



896] 



NATURE 



519 



A SENSIBLE little pamphlet, entitled " Health Notes for the 

 Seaside " (Whitby : Home and Son), in which some of the 

 salient facts of the science of hygiene are applied practically to 

 every-day life and holiday seeking, has been written by Mr. A. 

 C. Dutt. The "Notes" contain much good advice on how to 

 make the best use of a brief holiday. 



Messrs. G. Philu- and Son have sent us a copy of the 

 special map they have had prepared to illustrate the British and 

 Italian operations in the Eastern Soudan and Red Sea littoral. 

 The map shows the entire course of the Nile from the great 

 lakes to the sea, and the approaches to Khartum from the east 

 coast. Another map published by the same firm, shows on a 

 large scale the present scene of operations in Egypt. 



The fifth part of the second volume of the Proceedings of the 

 Imperial University College of Agriculture, Tokyo, is occupied 

 by two papers, both in German, on Japanese trees in the winter 

 state, illustrated by thirteen plates, and on the shrinking 

 {Klemiiien) of the Japanese timbers which are most useful for 

 practical purposes. 



The " Hand-list of Coniferae grown in the Royal Gardens, 

 Kew," just issued, comprises 227 species, with 340 varieties. It 

 has been drawn up with the assistance of Dr. M. T. Masters, 

 and is preceded by a very valuable historical sketch of the 

 nomenclature and classification of the Abietincie, from the pen 

 of Sir Joseph D. Hooker. 



A KIND of German Kew Bulletin is announced, with the 

 title Notizblatt des koniglichen botanischen Gartens und Museums 

 zu Berlin, under the direction of the staff of the Royal Garden 

 and Museum at Berlin. It is to be devoted to the botanical 

 interests of the German colonies, to the presentation of results 

 which it is desirable to place promptly before those interested, 

 and to the publication of new species. 



With the view of bringing together the opinions of persons 

 interested in reptiles, and with the laudable intention of 

 educating people to a kinder feeling for these interesting creatures. 

 The Vivariujii has been started. The first number has been 

 produced by a lithographic process, but the promoters hope to 

 elevate the contributions to the dignity of print in the near 

 future. The periodical is intended to be the organ of the newly - 

 formed Reptilian Society, and copies can be obtained from the 

 Secretary, Rand Rectory, Wragby, Lincolnshire. 



A sixth revised edition of Prof. C. Gegenbaur's " Lehrbuch 

 der Anatomie des Menschen " has been published by Engel- 

 mann, of Leipzig, in two ponderous volumes. The work was 

 originally published in 1883, and took its place in the first rank 

 among reference books of anatomy. The revisions ensure that 

 the new edition will maintain the high position earned by the 

 original. Another new edition, received during the past few 

 days, is the seconds of " Geology and Scenery of Sutherland" 

 (Edinburgh : D. Douglas), by Mr. H. M. Cadell. The book is a 

 worthy example of a guide-book which has nature for its subject, 

 and is a desirable companion for visitors tc the rocky wilds of 

 Sutherland. Would there were similar volumes for every 

 county in the British Isles. Many instructive diagrams and full- 

 page illustrations are distributed through the pages of the book. 



The Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British 

 Guiana may not be progressing so much as it deserves, if progress 

 is counted by an increased roil ; but its admirable journal, 

 Timehri, the December number of which (vol. ix. part 2) has 

 come to hand, testifies to the existence of a healthy spirit of 

 inquiry, which assists in the progress and development of the 

 great colony with the affairs of which it is chiefly concerned. 

 Among the subjects of papers in the present number are : 

 " Food Adulteration," by Mr. L. M. Hill ; " The Relation 



NO. 1379, VOL. 53] 



of Boiling Temperatures in Multiple Evaporation," by .Mr. 

 F. I. Scard ; " Ethnological Notes from Pirari," by Mr. C. 

 A. Lloyd ; " The Materials of the Urali Poison," by Mr. J. J. 

 Quelch ; "Some (iuiana Parrots," by Mr. C. A. Lloyd ; and 

 two articles by the editor, Mr. James Rod way— one on the future 

 of the Negro, and the other on the old boundary' of Essequibo. 

 In view of the fact that Venezuela lays claim to the whole of 

 Guiana west of the Essequibo, it is well to call attention to 

 this article, in which Mr. Rodway shows the baselessness of 

 such a claim. The London agent of Timehri is .Mr. E. Stanford. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Rhesus Monkey {Macaais rhesus, 9 ) from 

 India, presented by Mr. S. C. Fisher ; a Silver-backed Fox 

 (Canis chama) from South .\frica, presented by Mr. C. W. 

 Southey ; a Leadbeater's Cockaioo {Cacattia leadbeateri) from 

 Australia, presented by Miss E. S. Young ; two Crowned 

 T)x\cV&x-'Qo\i% {Cophalophus coronatus, <J ?) from West Africa, 

 received in exchange. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



New Variable Stars.— The Harvard College Obserz'atory 

 Ctrcuiar, No. 6, announces that an examination of the Henry 

 Draper Memorial photographs of stellar spectra by Mrs. Fleming 

 has led to the discovery of fourteen new variable stars of long 

 period, in addition to those previously announced. The spectrum 

 of the fifth star in the following list is of the fourth type. All of 

 the others have spectra of the third type, having also the hydro- 

 gen lines bright, and it was this peculiarity which led to their 

 discovery. The variability has been shown by comparison of a 

 large number of photographs, and the variation has been con- 

 firmed in each case by Prof. Pickering. 



Comet Perrine-Lamf. — The following is a continuation of 

 Dr. Lamp's ephemeris of Comet Perrine-Lamp for Berlin mid- 

 night [Ast. Nach., 3341) :— 



April 



Mr. Joseph Lunt reports that on March i, 2 and 3, the comci 

 appeared as a circular nebulosity without tail, but with a bright 

 central condensation, which very gradually faded away out- 

 wards. It was as bright as the nucleus of the great nebula in 

 Andromeda, which it somewhat resembled, and was easily seen 

 with a telescope of one-inch aperture. On March 9 the aspect 

 of the comet was greatly changed, a bright stellar nucleus having 

 developed ; this was not centrally placed, and gave the comet a 

 fan-shaped appearance. 



