September 1, 1897.J 



KNOWLEDGE. 



223 



openings. Within a yard of the shielduck's neat, and in 

 the same burrow, was a merganser's nest with fourteen 

 eggs. Four of these egga were undoubtedly shielduck's 

 eggs, laid there by the merganser's near neighbour. It is 

 a fairly common habit in the duck family for one bird to 

 lay in another's nest after she has filled her own and has 

 still eggs to lay. Curiously enough, we found another 

 merganser's nest, with ten eggs, in some reeds quite in 

 the open and but a few yards from the burrow. What a 

 lovely sight it would have been, supposing all these eggs 



Some of the Isles. 



S^lE!^ 



hatched out at the same time, to watch the three families 

 of some forty ducklings of two species within an area of 

 six square yards ! 



We had the good fortune to see many beautiful sights 

 on this little trip, and I should like to describe (although 

 no words of mine can do it jus dee) one more — the most 

 beautiful of all. Although we had started very early one 

 morning from Tobermory on our way back to Oban, head 

 winds and dead calms had kept us so long in the Sound of 

 Mull that we did not reach its mouth until nearly midnight. 

 The soft, dim twilight was shedding an uncertain glimmer 

 over a sea as smooth as glass, and the tide neither ebbed 

 nor flowed. Amidst this peace and quiet in one little 

 spot a fierce struggle was going on. We could see in 

 the distance a troubled patch of water, from which there 

 continually flashed glistening streaks of silver, while 

 hovering forms above kept plunging down and rising again. 

 Rowing quietly and slowly nearer, we found that a shoal 

 of Utile fry were btset by a host of devouring foes — great 

 fat saithe were d-irting up at them from below, while a 

 flock of terns were diving down upon them from above. 

 The water was in a constant turmoil of glistening foam 

 as one after the other the birds dropped down like a 

 stone, and then, emerging from the spray, rose with 

 a tiny silvery fish across the beak. Their evolutions 

 in the air were indeed a fascinating sight — now gliding, 

 now hovering, now fluttering like butterflies, they flew 

 round and round in the wake of the shoal of fish, while 

 their " kee-er, kee-ers " sounded cheerily across the glassy 

 sea. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR SEPTEMBER. 



By Herbert Sadler, F.R.A.S. 



A FEW small scattered spots still appear on the 

 solar disc. 

 Conveniently observable minima of Algol occur 

 at llh. 6m. p.m. on the 10th, and at 7h. 56m. p.m. 

 on the 13th. 

 Mercury is too near the Sun to be well observed this 



month. He is stationary on th*> 9fch, and in inferior con- 

 junction with the Sun on the 23rd. lie may, however, 

 just be caught by a careful observer at the end of September, 

 as he rises on the 30th at about 4h. 30m. a.m., with a 

 northern declination of 2° 18', and an apparent diameter 

 of 9". While visible he describes a short retrograde path 

 in Virgo. 



Venus is a morning star, and is still very well situated 

 for observation. On the 1st she rises about Ih. 32m. a.m., 

 with a northern declination of 19" 29', and an apparent 

 diameter of 15". On the 10th she rises at 

 Ih. 56m. A.M., with a northern declination of 

 17° 27', and an apparent diameter of 14|", about 

 three-quarters of the disc being illuminated. On 

 the 20th she rises at 2h. 20m. a.m., with a 

 northern declination of 14" 25', and an apparent 

 diameter of 13V'. On the 30th she rises at 

 2h. 50m. a.m., with a northern declination of 

 10" 40', and an apparent diameter of 13". She 

 describes a direct path through a portion of 

 Cancer into Leo, being not far from Regulus on 

 the 25th. 



Both Mars and Jupiter are invisible, Jupiter 

 being in conjunction with the Sun on the 13th. 



Saturn is an evening star, but must be looked 



for as soon as possible after sunset ; and hia 



low decimation interferes with observation. On 



the 1st he sets at 9h. 21m. p.m., or about two 



and three-quarter hours after the Sun, with a southern 



declination of 17° 11', and an apparent equatorial diameter 



of 16|^". On the 10th he sets at 8h. 47m. p.m., 



with a southern declination of 17° 21', and an apparent 



diameter of 16|". On the 20th he sets at 8h. 12m. p.m., 



with a southern declination of 17° 33', and an apparent 



equatorial diameter of 16f . On the 30th he sets at 



7h. 32m. P.M., or about two hours after the Sun, with a 



southern declination of 17° 46'. During the month he 



describes a short direct path in Libra. 



Uranus is now too near the Sun to be conveniently 

 observed. 



Neptune is an evening star, rising on the 1st at lOh. 38m. 

 P.M., with a northern declination of 21° 58', and an apparent 

 diameter of 2V'. Oa the 30th he rises at 8b. 40m. p.m., 

 with a northern declination of 21° 52', and an apparent 

 diameter of 2i". During the month he describes a short 

 direct path in Taurus. 



There are no very well marked showers of shooting stars 

 in September. 



The Moon enters her firat quarter at llh. 13m. p.m. on 

 the 3rd ; is full (Harvest Moon) at 2h. 12m. a.m. on the 

 11th; enters her last quarter at 2h. 51m. a.m. on the 

 19th ; and is new at Ih. 46m. p.m. on the 26th. 



Ci^css Column. 



By 0. D. LooooK, B.A.Oxon. 



Communications for this column should be addreaaed, 

 till further notice, to the Chess Editor, Knowledge, 326, 

 High Holborn. 



Solutions of Autjust Problems. 



No. 1. 



(By J. T. Blakemore.) 



1. B to RB, and mates next move. 



