Septembkb 1, 1899.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



207 



the Manufacture and Purification of Coal Gas " ; " On the 

 Influence of Atmospheric Pressure on the Light of Gas, 

 Candle and other Flames," and " On Researches con- 

 nected with the Atmosphere of the Sun." An epitome of 

 his work may be found in the " Fifth Annual Eeport of 

 the Normal School of Science and Eoyal School of ilines, 

 Session 1884 — 85," the year of his retirement as professor 

 in that institution. Sir Edward was the first president of 

 the Institute of Chemistry in 1877, received the honour 

 of K.C.B. in 1897, and his merits as one of the most 

 briUiant of our experimental chemists were duly recognized 

 at home and abroad by the bestowal of unstinted honours 

 from many miiversities and learned bodies. 



i^oticts of ISoolts. 



> — 



The Indian Eclipae, 1898. Report of the Expeditions 

 organised by the British Astronomical Association to obsei've 

 the Total Solar Eclipse of 1898, January 22. Edited by E. W. 

 Maunder, f.r.a.s. (London • Hazell, Watson, & Viney. 1899.) 

 Illustrated. 5s. The British Astronomical A.ssociation very 

 justifiably takes a pride in the achievements of its eclipse expedi- 

 tions to India, and the re])ort now issued may be regarded as 

 one of the most valuable of its publications. Beautifully 

 ]irinted and illustrated, ably written and edited for the most 

 part, the volume is one which we found ourselves unable to put 

 down before reading it throughout. There is much that is 

 interesting without being strictly a.stronomical, much that is 

 instructive on matters connected with eclipses, and a fair pro- 

 portion of the book deals with the scientific results of the 

 expeditions. The story of the ecli])se of 1898 has already been 

 in part made familiar to our readers. Two stations were occu- 

 pied by the Association : one at Talni by Mr. and Mrs. Maunder, 

 Mr. Evershed, Mr. Thwaites, and others ; the other at Buxar, 

 on the Ganges, by the Rev. J. M. Bacon's party. The troubles 

 and pleasures of travel, and the novelty of camp life, are lightly 

 touched upon in the general narratives 

 of the two expeditions by Mr. Maunder 

 and Mr. Bacon respectively, and both 

 writers refer to the interest of watching 

 the new astronomical conditions as the 

 voyage southwards was performed. The 

 camp at Jeur, occupied by Prof. Campbell, 

 Prof. Naegamvala, and others is described 

 by Mr. Cousens, and another chapter is 

 devoted to brief descriptions of photo- 

 graphs of various places of historical or 

 other interest visited by members of the 

 expeditions after the eclipse. One of 

 the most serious chapters is that entitled 

 " Spectroscopic Observations." This 

 opens with an admirable introduction to 

 the special questions and conditions 

 involved in eclipse work, which we 

 commend to all who require a simple 

 explanation of these matters. Mr. 

 Evershed follows with an account of 



his spectroscopic work, which is illustrated by copies of 

 some of his numerous photographs taken with the prismatic 

 camera, his most valuable contribution to science being, in the 

 judgment of the writer, his splendid impressions of the ultra- 

 violet part of the flash spectrum. Unfortunately, his report 

 breaks off where the real interest for many readers will per- 

 haps commence — that is, in the bearing of the results on solar 

 theory. Mr. Maunder's experiences with the prismatic opera 

 glass will be very valuable to future observers who may employ 

 this exceedingly portable and comprehensive instrument, the 

 possibilities of which were described in the Jnurnal of the 

 Jiriiish Astronomical Association for 1896 ; the chief result 

 agrees with that obtained from photographs taken at Viziadrug — 

 namely, that the distribution of coronium corresponds with the 

 inner corona and has no obvious connection with the great 

 streamers. Visual and photographic impressions of the corona 

 occupy a considerable part of the volume, and here an attempt 

 is made by Mr. and Mrs. Maunder to discuss the results, which 



seem to them to indicate a close connection between cometary 

 and coronal phenomena. A full account is given of the won- 

 derful photographs taken with a very modest camera by Mrs. 

 Maunder, showing great extensions of the corona, and the 

 corona itself a considerable interval after totality. The absence 

 of a description of the Buxar animatograph, of reference to 

 its object, and the subsequent misfortunes of the film, leave a 

 curious feeling of incompleteness in this section. Among the 

 misceUaneous observations, described by various contributors, 

 the subject of shadow bands is not the least interesting. It so 

 hap])ens, however, that all the observations were made on a 

 horizontal plane alone, so that they cannot be utilised in 

 some of the inquiries which suggest themselves, and little or no 

 new light is thrown upon their origin. Suggestions for future 

 work enhance the value of the report. We hope to have made 

 it clear that the report is at least very instructive and full of 

 interest. What is badly wanted now is a successor to the late 

 Mr. Ranyai-d, who would undertake to co-ordinate recent eclipse 

 work in a companion volume to the well-known Vol. XLI. of 

 the Memoirs of the Roi/al Astronomicul Society. Until this 

 is done it will be difficult to correctly estimate the value of 

 many observations published in this and other eclipse reports. 



//) ilie .iiistraliu/i Bush and on the Coast of the Coral Sea. 

 By Richard Semon. xv. + 5.36 pp., with eighty-six illustrations 

 and four maps. (London: Macmillan & Co., Limited.) 21s. 

 net. Not every biologist anxious to study oviparous mammals, 

 marsupials and ceratodus, can do as Dr. Semon did in June, 

 1891. He started from Jena with the intention of spending 

 two years in the Australian bush, in order that, in the first place, 

 he might thoroughly investigate the life-history, and follow the 

 various stages in the embryology, of ornithorhjnchus, echidna, 

 and ceratodus ; and secondly, if possible, add to the existing 

 knowledge of Australian fauna in general. But, thanks to 

 Dr. Semon's skill in photograjihy, and to his trained powers 

 of observation, to say nothing of his industry since his 

 return to Euro)je, every zoologist who wishes to extend his 

 acquaintance with the old world forms named above, can, 

 if he will take this handsome volume as a guide, become 

 transported to a completely new environment, and in the 



Figure of Duck-billed Platypus (OniMor/it/ncfius anatinus), from " In the Australian 



I5usli." (Maemillau.) 



company of a charming companion enjoy all the pleasures of 

 a visit to the Antipodes. "In the Australian Bush" is not 

 only a book of thrilling adventure, but, what is far more 

 valuable, it is a well-stocked storehouse, in which new facts con- 

 cerning animals of unique interest to the student of zoological 

 classification are presented in a scholarly yet eminently read- 

 able manner. Dr. Semon regarded his work on the monotremes 

 and that representative of the almost exterminated class of 

 Dipnoi or lungfish, ceratodus, as his principal task. Taking 

 these animals in the same order in which the author deals 

 with them, the duck billed platypus must be first introduced. 

 The water-mole, as the colonists call it, will be best known 

 to many readers by its scientific name Ornithorhynchus 

 anatinus. It is only represented by this single Austrahan 

 species, and exists nowhere else in the world. For its food it 

 is restricted to the water, and is able to keep under the 

 surface for some time, but not to breathe there, its lungs 

 being as unfit for water breathing as those of all other 



