December, 1902.1 



KNOWLEDGE 



2{;:> 



Founded by RICHARD A. PROCTOR. 

 Vol. XXV.] LONDON : URCEMBER, 1902. [No. 20C. 



CONTENTS. 



Eclitopial 



The Eruptions in the West Indies. (I I lust rated) 

 The Domestic Economy of the Thrush. A« observed 



liv A. H. Macuell Co.k, m.a 



Two Fashionable Furs. 15y R. Lvukkkkr 



The Comets of 1903. Bv J. B. Dale, m.a. (Illustrated) 

 "Comet Perrine. Bv Cathakine O. Stevens. (Illus- 

 trated) 

 The Moon s Southern Horn. Bv E. Walter Maunder, 



K.UA.s. (Plate) ■ 



Letters : 



A Nebulous Stab in Scutum St>eiESKi. ByAnNES M. 

 Clerke 



The Canals of Mars. By B. W. Lane 



Vistbilitt op the Cbescent of Venus. By A. W. 

 Mansebgh, lt.-col. ... 



SvNCHBONisM OF SoLAR Storms and Terrestrial 



Magnetic Distuhbaxces. By Albert Alfred Buss 



British Ornithological Notes. Conducted by Harry F. 



■WiTUERBY, F.Z.8., M.B.O.U 



Notes 



Notices of Books 



Books Kixeived 



The Backbone of Leinster. By Orexville A. J. Cole, 



M.B.I. v.. F.G.S. 



Microscopy. Conducted by M. I. Cbo33 



Notes on Comets and Meteors. By W. F. Denning, 



F.R.A.S 



The Face of the Sky for December. By W. 



Shackleton, f.b.a.s. ... ... ... 



Chess Column. By 0. D. Locock, b.a 



269 

 271 

 273 



27-1 

 275 



276 

 276 



277 



277 



278 

 278 

 280 

 282 



EDITORIAL. 



With this number the Twenty-fifth Volume of 

 Knowledge is completed. At the close of a j-ear 

 the mind travels naturally back over events and 

 attainments of the past, and the student, old or young, 

 is inclined to raise enquirint^ ej-es from his own occu- 

 pation to contemplate progress around him. 



The certainty of steady progress in science will be 

 felt after such a survey of the year 1902 ; and if war 

 gives rise to many opportunities for bringing the man 

 of science to the front, at least we may express the 

 conviction that peace following strife gives to science 

 an impetus towards solid advancement. Should 

 Knowledge in any sense have led its readers during 

 the past >ear to a participation in the results of the 

 progress of science, the Editors and Contributors alike 

 can be but gratified. 



We hope that those of our readers who incline to 

 natural science will allow us to remind them that at no 

 time before has the .study pf nature been considered so 



essential a part of life as at the present, whether 

 undertaken as the pursuit of spare moments or as the 

 serious profession of every day. 



As regards our arrangements for 1903 ; in Astro- 

 nomy Mr. A. Fowler will write a series of papers on 

 Spectroscopic subjects, while Mr. Maunder, having 

 now completed his articles on " Astronomy without a 

 Telescope," will devote himself during the year to the 

 discussion of subjects of current interest. Miss A. M. 

 Clerke will deal with some " Theories of Gravitation," 

 giving an account of the most recent speculations or 

 discoveries regarding the mode of action by which 

 the planetary :\nd sidereal machines are kept going. 

 .Miss Clerke will also discuss some new views in Solar 

 Physics. We hope to publish early in the year some 

 photographs of Perrine's Comet, by Dr. Isaac Roberts, 

 and articles on the Path of the Moon, by Mr. A. C. D. 

 Crommelin, and on Stellar Satellites by Mr. J. E. Gore. 



The column devoted to Comets and Meteors will 

 be continued by Mr. W. F. Denning ; while " The Face 

 of the Sky " will still be in the hands of Mr. W. 

 Shackleton, who proposes to aid the observer by 

 additional diagrams. 



Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger promises a set of articles on 

 Familiar British Wild Flowers and their Allies. The 

 e.xtent, distribution, and character of various orders of 

 plants will be dealt with, particular reference being 

 made to the British species and the points of interest 

 connected with them. 



Mr. F. Enock regrets that he has been unable 

 so far to keep his promise of contributing some 

 life-histories of the insects, to the study of which he 

 has devoted so many years, but he will redeem his 

 promise during 1903. 



Amongst other contributors we may mention that 

 Mr. J. Collier proposes to write some papers on 

 Sociologj' ; Mr. Pycraft will supply some illus- 

 trated papers on " Wind Bags and their Uses in 

 various Birds and Fishes"; Mr. D. Wilson-Barker 

 hopes to tell us more about the Clouds, which he 

 photographs so cleverly ; and Mons. E.. M. Antoniadi 

 has prepared some very fully illustrated articles on 

 S. Sophia, the structure and history of which he 

 has studied very closely. 



Mr. M. I. Cross will continue to conduct the 

 Microscopical section, to which it is proposed to allot 

 more space in order to provide for a programme 

 which is fully set out under the Microscopical heading 

 in this issue. In this connection Mr. Cross has already 

 secured the assistance of such well-known workers as 

 Messrs. Noad Clark, Earland, Rousselet, Sanger 

 Shepherd, Soar, and Weschc. 



A new Chess Solution Tourney for possession of 

 the Knowledge Challenge Trophy will begin with 

 the problems in the January number. 



