22 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[Januaby, 1904. 



Botanical Notes. — It is probable that the legeud 

 respectiug the origin of the G-lastonburv Thorn is well 

 known. How Joseph of Arimathea, in visiting Britain on 

 a preaching mission, anive J wearv at Glastonbury, and while 

 he rested, his hawthorn walking stick was thrust into the 

 ground. How it at once began to grow, and ever after, so 

 the legend savs, flowered on Christmas Day. The thorn is 

 simply Cratcegti.'' 0.ryaca»tha precox, an earlv flowering 

 variety of our common hawthorn. That it does flower 

 remarkably early is quite true, for a tree in the Royal 

 Botanic Clardeus, Kew, opens its flow-ers between November 

 and March. This year it is now (early in Decemljerj bearing 

 advanced flower-buds, which, had not the frosts injured 

 them, would have expanded at Christmas time. 



Another part of " Hooker's Icones Plantarum " has just 

 been issued, and this contains descriptions and figures of 

 several especially noteworthy plants. Aniha megacarpa, 

 seen in the fruiting stage only, might easily be mistaken 

 for an oak (Quercus), iu which is found such remarkable 

 variations in the cupules and acorns. This Aniha has a 

 large, much-thickened cupule. and an oblong nut about 

 three inches long. The genus belongs to the Laurineae. 

 Rubber plants, to which an extensive literature is uow 

 devoted, are met with in this part of the " Icones " in two 

 species of Latulolphia and one of Sapiiim. Landolphia 

 Kirkii is a very Important plant, commercially. In an 

 interesting note on the manner of collecting the rubber, we 

 are informed that it '" is collected in a way that is perhaps 

 unique in any rubber-yielding plant. Some of the milk 

 from a wound is allowed to coagulate. The pellet so 

 obtained is applied to a fresh cut, and being turned with a 

 rotary motion, the exuding milk is drawn off like silk 

 from a cocoon. It is said that by working hard one person 

 can collect five pounds of rubber per diem." In the other 

 species of Landolphia figured, the rubber has to be 

 coagulated bv heat. Both are natives of Tropical Africa. 

 — S. A. S. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR JANUARY. 



By W. Shackleton, f.e.a.s. 



The Sun. — On the 1st the sun rises at 8.8 and sets 

 at 3.59 ; on the 31st he rises at 7.44 and sets at 4.43. 



Sunspots may now frequently be observed. 



The earth is at its least distance from the sun on the 

 3rd ; the sun has then its maximum apparent diameter of 

 32' 35"-2. 



The Moon: — 



The moon is in perigee on the 4th, and in apogee on 

 the 19th. 



OccuLTATiONS. — The particulai's of the occupations of 

 the brighter stars during the month are as folio >v : — 



The Planets. — Mercury is an evening star in Capri- 

 cornus. He is at greatest easterly elongation on the 1st, 

 being 19''30 E., and sets for a few days near this time 

 about H hours after the sun. On account of his great 

 southerly dechnation, however, he is not favourably 

 situated for easy observation. He is again in inferior 

 conjunction with the sun on the 17th. 



Venus is a morning star, and rises on the 1st at 

 4.22 A.M., and on the 31st at 5.28 a.m. Her brilliance, 

 is, however, diminishing on account of increasing distance 

 from the earth and greater southerly declination. 



Mars is low down in the south-west at sun-set, but is 

 very feeble and badly placed for observation. 



Jupiter is on the meridian about sunset near the 

 beginning of the month, whilst near the end of the month 

 he sets about 9 p.m. 



The diameter of the planet is diminishing on account of 

 his increasing distance from the earth, the polar and 

 equatorial diameters being 34"'3 and 3(5"'7. 



The configurations of the satellites, as seen in an 

 inverting telescope, and observing at 7 p.m., are as 

 follow : — 



Tlie circle (O) represents Jupiter ; signifies that tlie 9at«llite is 

 on the disc ; • signifies that the satellite is behind the disc, or in the 

 shadow. The numbers are the numbers of the satellites. 



Saturn and Uranus are lost in the sun's rays and 



cannot be observed. 



Neptune comes to the meridian about 10.30 p.m., near 



the middle of the month ; being close to ft Greminorum, 



he can readilv be found by reference to that star, their 



respective positions on the 16th being : — 



Right Ascension. N. Declination. 



Neptune ... 6b. 17m. 16s. ... 22° 18'^ 31" 



ju. Geminonim .. 6h. 17m. lis. ... 22^ 33' 37" 

 The planet therefore will be 15' directly south of the 



Chart showing path of Xeptune in 1904. 



star, and will appear in the same field of view with a 

 not too high power eyepiece. The above chart shows the 

 planet's path during the year 1904. 



