68 



KNOWLEDGE 



[Makch 1, 1898. 



the present epoch. None of these mammals properly come, 

 therefore, within the scope of the present article. On the 

 other hand, tapirs and rhinoceroses, as dating from the lower 

 part of the mioeene or the upper portion of the eocene 

 period, might be considered to claim notice in our survey, 

 ■while the same remark would apply to the civets of the 

 genus Viirrra. Since, however, these mammalian types are 

 comparatively well represented at the present day, they 

 scarcely come under the designation of " Hving fossils." 

 There is, however, one mammal to which this title is 

 strictly applicable, namely, the water-chevi-otain of Western 

 Africa. This genus of mammals was originally made 

 known to science upon the evidence of fossil remains from 

 the pliocene rocks of Darmstadt described under the name 

 of Thirriitlicriiim in 188fi. Four years later, a living 

 ungulate from West Africa was described as a species of 

 musk-deer (.1/«.s<7(hs-), and the same creature was in 1845 

 made the type of a new genus, llijomoacliux. Subsequently 

 other extinct species of Ihrcatlwi-iwn were described from 

 the mioeene rocks of Europe and the pliocene of India, 

 and it was eventually proved that the African water- 

 chevrotain belonged to the same genus as these reputedly 

 extinct forms. Hence, the animal in question, as being 

 the sole existing representative of a genus which had 

 formerly a comparatively wide distribution and which was 

 originally described as extinct, has the most indisputable 

 claim to rank as a " living fossil." 



on the 14th. While visible he describes a direct path in 

 Pisces, without approaching any bright star. Venus is 

 invisible. 

 Mars is still visible, but is a very uninteresting object 



i-f 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR MARCH. 



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



SEVERAL 6ne groups of spots have recently appeared 

 on the solar surface. Conveniently observable 

 minima of Algol occur at Oh. 30m. a.m., on the 

 1.3th, and at 9h. 19m. p.m. on the ICth. A maximum 

 of the beautiful variable Omicron Ceti will take 

 place about the 11th. 



Mercury is an evening star, and is well situated 

 for observation during the greater part of the month, 

 setting on the 1st at Gh. 40m. p.m., i 



or Ih. 2m. after sunset, with a +5" | XIII ln-s. 

 southern declination of 3° 37', and an 

 apparent diameter of 51", tVo^I's of 

 the disc being illuminated. On the 

 7th he sets at 7h. 21m. p.m., or Ih. 

 83m. after the Sim, with a northern 

 decUnation of 1' 43', and an apparent 

 diameter of 6", -r^ths of the disc being 

 illuminated, and the planet being then 

 at its brightest. On the 12th he sets 

 at 7h. 47m. p.m., with a northern 

 declination of 5' 37', and an apparent 

 diameter of 6|", TVc^hs of the disc 

 being illuminated. On the 17th he 

 sets at 7h. 5Gm. p.m., or lb. .50m. 

 after sunset, with a northern declina- 

 tion of 8° 23', and an apparent 

 diameter of 8", i%%ths of the disc 

 being illuminated. On the 22nd he 

 sets at 7h. 48m. p.m., or Ih. 34m. 

 after sunset, with a northern declina- 

 tion of 9" 33', and an apparent 

 diameter of 9}, tVo^'^s of the disc 

 being illuminated. After this he 

 gets too faint and too near the 

 Sun for observation. He is at 

 his greatest eastern elongation (18^°) 



He sets on the 1st at lib. 29m. p.m., 

 declination of 16° 10', and an apparent 

 On the 31st he sets at llh. 24m. p.m., 

 declination of 21° 30', and an apparent 



During the month he passes through 

 south of the Pleiades on 



for the amateur. 



with a northern 



diameter of 6| 



with a northern 



diameter of 5-|' 



part of Aries into Taurus, beinj: 



the 25th. 



Jupiter is still an evening star, but should be looked for 

 immediately after sunset. On the 1st he sets at 9h. 43m. 

 p.m., with a northern declination of 8° 36', and an ap- 

 parent equatorial diameter of 34-6". On the 31st he sets 

 at 8h. 23m. p.m., or Ih. .53m. after sunset, with a northern 

 declination of 11° 2', and an apparent equatorial diameter 

 of 32 '. He is occulted by the Moon on the morning of 

 the 20th, the disappearance taking place as the planet is 

 rising, at 7h. Im. a.m., at an angle of 68° from the 

 northern point of the lunar disc, and the reappearance at 

 7h. 52m. A.M., at an angle of 237° from the northern point. 

 During the month he describes a direct path through 

 Pisces into Aries. On the evening of the 19th a 7th 

 magnitude star will be very closely north of the planet. 

 .The following phenomena of the satellites occur while 

 Jupiter is more than 8" above and the Sun 8° below the 

 horizon. On the 3rd an occultation disappearance of the 

 second satellite at 7h. 23m. p.m. On the 5th a transit 

 egress of the shadow of the second satellite at 6h. 50m. 

 p.m. On the 6th a transit ingress of the first satellite at 

 8h. 23m. p.m. On the 12th a transit ingress of the shadow 

 of the second satellite at 7h. Im. p.m. ; and a transit 

 egress of the satellite at 7h. 55m. p.m. On the 14th an 

 occultation disappearance of the first satellite at 7h. 46m. 

 P.M. On the 15th a transit egress of the first satellite 

 at 7h. 9m. p.m., and of its shadow at 7h. 52m. p.m. On 

 the 22nd a transit ingress of the shadow of the first 

 satellite. On the 23rd an eclipse disappearance of the 

 first satelUte at 7h. 4m. 27s. p.m. The following are the 

 times of superior and inferior conjunctions of the fourth 



40m. 



20m. 



XII hrs. 



0" 



3S- 



'37 





+ \ 



+ + 



'^T' 

 p 



•w 



a 



^^^ 



.:2l. 



2. 



71 



■^•.'■^ 



i\ 



-^ ',.S'r-(> 



"^'7? 



0" 



-5" 



XIII hrs. 



40m. 



20m. 



XII hrs. 



Path of the Planet Saturn in the Constellation Virgo, from Februai'y Ist to 

 September 1st, 1893. The map is based on Cottam's Star Chart, v Vii-ginis 

 (binary) 3'1 magnitude, « Virginis 3'5, i Virginia 4'0, 16 Virginia oij. 



