Ja.niasv 1, lUOl. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



11 



Itoilios iiinv bo ooiiipared to those of infl'itoil globe-fish. 

 Ferhiips the most iiceiiliar feature about tliein is the 

 swollen eonditiou of the hiuilev part of the palate, which 

 is, of course, onlv seen when they yawn- a habit in whi<'!i 

 they Seem fond of induljring. 



Another animal at the "Zoo "never before exhibited 

 alive in this country is the white ffoiit of the Rocky 

 Mountains, one of the few species of mammals that are 

 while at all seasons. Wo jiurposely allude to this animal 

 by its j>opular name, since naturalists are not in accord as 

 to its proper scii'utiflc title; Eui(lish writers generally 

 calliui; it Haploceruf (or Aploririis), while Americans 

 jirefer Oreainniia. We think the latter are in the right. 



The German naturalist Horinann Klaatsch has made 

 the interesting discovery that, with the exception of the 

 manlike apes, none of the Old World monkeys possess a 

 muscle corresponding v.ith the one known in human 

 iUiatoniy as the short head of the hii-cpn jlexor cruris. And 

 since the re]>reseutative of the same muscle, under two 

 ditferent moditieations, occurs in the American monkeys, 

 the question whether these are more nearly related to man 

 and the man-like apes than are the ordinary monkeys of 



the Old World is opened up. 



— ►.*.< — 

 Intekxational Catalogue of Scientific Literature. 

 — .\t meetings of the council of this important under- 

 taking held on December I'ith and 13th, the object, scope, 

 and organisation as defined by successive conferences held 

 during the last four years were brought into their final 

 form, and aU arrangements were comiileted for the defi- 

 nitive commencement of the work on January 1. The 

 catalogue will at first be issued in annual volumes, but 

 its form and rate of production will necessarily be 

 governed to a great extent by financial considerations. 

 The respousibUity for publication and for the initial 

 expenditure is undertaken by the Koyal Society, and the 

 central bureau will Ix^ in London, while regional bureaux 

 in correspondence thei'ewith will of course be established 

 in all the countries taking part in the undi'rtaking. A 

 comprehensive and elaborate system of classification has 

 been devised with the assent of all the countries interested. 



PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CLUSTERS M. 35 AND 

 M VI. 17 GEMINORUM, AND OF NEBULAE 

 IN MONOCEROS. 



By Isaac Roberts, d.sc, f.r.s. 



CLUSTRRS M. 35 AND W VL 17 GEMINORUM, 

 AND OF THE STARS AROUND THEM. 



The pliOtogra|di exhibits the region in the sky between 

 R.A. 6h. Om. i4s. ind K A.tJh. 4m 31)s., and in declination 

 between 23= 34' and 24^ .■')8'-3 north. The area' is, 

 therefore, 4m. l-5s. in extent from jireccdirKj to /(illowinij, 

 and P 24'3 from north to south. 



Scale, one millimetre to thirty seconds of arc. 



Co-ordinates of the fiducial sj,ars marked with dots 

 for the epoch 1900: — 



star (.) D.M. No. 109.5 Zone + 23'' E.i. Ch. Om. 45 la. Dec. N. 24° 19 .i. 



Mag. 87. 

 Star I..) I> M. No. 12'9 Zone + 2.3° B.A. 6h. im. 4-2s. Dec. N. ll" .W .5. 



Maf. H-i. 

 Stir ( . I D.M. No. 1135 Zone + 21' K.A. 61i .iiii. Il-2s. Dec. N. 2f 1:!' 3. 



Must. 8-4. 



References. 



N.G.C. 2168. G.C. 1360. h 'ill. Rosse, OU. of Neh. 

 and CI., p. ->2.' Lassell, Afem. R.A.S., Vol. XXIIl '. [>. r,9 

 LB. Ph'.los. pi. i;i, p. 63, y VI. 17, O.C. No. IS.'il. 



The photograph was taken with the 20-inch reflector 

 on January 20th, 1900, between .sidereal time 41i. 12m. 

 and oh. 42m., with an exposure of the plate during 

 ninety minutes; and the stars are depicted (o about 



17th magnitude. The cluster M. 35 is the large palcli 

 of scattered bright and faint stars on the luirt/i ftilhtwiiKj 

 side of the centre, and 111 VI. 17 is the small cluster on 

 the .<:iutth iirecfding side. Both the clusters and tiic 

 stars .surrounding them present to view in a striking 

 manner numerous curves and lines of stars with void 

 spaces between them, which enable us to view the dark- 

 ness of space bcvoiul the dolnctir stellar universe of 

 which the solar system forms a relatively insignificant 

 point. 



Many astronomers have tacitly adopted the assumption 

 that the stars extend indefinitely into the expanse of 

 space, but that the reason they cannot be seen is the 

 absence of sufficient telescopic power to reveal the very 

 feeble light of stars that are beyond the range limit of 

 all existing telescopes. But the evidence obtained by 

 the aid of photograph)' during the past twelve years 

 strongly indicates, if it does not demonstrate, that those 

 vacant spaces which are visible on photographs tint 

 have been exposed to the sky during intervals of seven 

 to twelve hours are really void of stars. This inference 

 is based upon the fact that photograplis have been 

 taken of identically the same areas in the sky but with 

 exposures of only ninety minutes show the same stai-s, 

 including those of the faintest magnitude, that were 

 shown on the plates exposed up to twelve hours. Therc- 

 foro wo arc ju.stificd (by our present knowledge) in 

 adopting the inference tliab no fainter stars exist, and 

 that the universe which includes all the stars and Uie 

 nebulosity of the Milkij Wat/ is limited in extent, and 

 that it may bo considered as a separate and di.stiiict 

 aggregation of stars and of material of which stars are 

 made independently of other similar stellar aggregations 

 which may exist in the inconceivable expanse of space 

 beyond the Mill-y Way. This view, based as it is on 

 credible evidence, would reduce the whole of the solar 

 system, including the planets and satellites, to a mere 

 speck i-elatively with the Galactic universe alone, and 

 relatively with the others that may be beyond, incon- 

 ceivably small — a microscopic speck. What then about 

 the earth, which wo naturally look upon as a world of 

 great importance? Important of course it is to the 

 million foi-ms of life that exist upon it, ranging between 

 the monad and the elephant, or the whale, or man, but 

 voi-y small relatively with the solar system and insigni- 

 ficant relatively with the Galactic universe. 



Some minds arc slowly developing and forming con- 

 ceptioits which in time will enable them to appreciate the 

 grandeur of the views of nature as they arc revealed to 

 us by recent researches in astronomical and in other 

 branches of science; but general enlightenment inu.'-t 

 neccssai'ily be slow, for tho propagation of ancient ob- 

 scurantist ideas oppose and greatly retard progress in the 

 development of reason founded upon a basis more sub- 

 stantial than tho waking dreams of obscurantists. 

 NEBULA IN MONOCEROS. 

 Tho photogi-aph exhibits the nebulse and the region 

 surrounding "them between R.A. 6h. 24m. 7s. and 

 R.A. 6b. 28m. Os., and in declination between 9" 12'-4 and 

 10° 36'-l north. The sky area represented is, therefore, 

 3m. 53s. in extent from precedhui to f<>IIoinnfj,iind 1° 23'-7 

 from north to south. 



Scale, one millimetre to thirty seconds of arc. 

 Co-ordinates of the fiducial stars marked with dots 

 for the epoch 1900: — 



Sl.ar (.) D.M. No, 1:59 Zone 10' K.A. Oh. 25m. 3n-4.s. Dec. N. 10^ -5. 



St.ar*'('!.T D.'m. N... 1171 Zone W K.A. Oh. 3-m. lS-.3«. Dec. N. 10° 14'-1. 



star ('.") T)..U. No. 1172 Zone 10° B.A. Oh. 27n). 32-89. Dec. N. 10" 23'1. 

 ' MaV- 87. 



