25' 



NATURE 



[July \ i, 1S9; 



to the sections of hisiorj- and bibliography, agricultural meteoro- 

 logj', and atmospheric electricity and terrestrial magnetism. 

 Part iii. will comprise climatology, instruments and methods of 

 obseri-ation, and theoretical meteorology. 



The most important articles in the Kcw Bulletin for .Xpril to 

 lulv, are one on the \-arious sugar-cane diseases in Barbadoes, 

 one on maple sugar, containing information with regard to the 

 growth of the sugar-maple in the L'niteil .States ; and one on 

 anbur)-, club-root, or finger-and-toe, describing the mode in 

 which this disease is produced in a number of species of Crucifer.v 

 by the attacks of the parasite P!asiin\1iophora Brassiitt, and the 

 best modes of counteracting it. 



The new quarterly number of the Journal of the Royal 

 .\gricultural Society contains a paper on "Cross-bred Sheep," 

 by Mr. H. J. Elwes, in which many facts of biological interest 

 are recorded. The \-alue of a first cross between two pure 

 breeds is insisted upon, whilst due importance is attached to the 

 dangers which l>eset the breeder should he venture beyond the 

 first cross. .Mr. Elwes is in a position to draw ujxin the results 

 of long practical experience in the cross-breeding of sheep. 

 The general improvement which the sheep of this country have 

 undcigone within recent years is attributed to the increa.sing 

 resort to the services of pure-bred sires, but much remains to lie 

 done by those breeders who possess the necessary skill, 

 patience, and energy. .\nother paper of scientific interest is 

 one by Prof. G. T. Brown, C. B. , on " Ringworm of Calves,'' 

 which is illustrated with five original drawings. It is demon- 

 strated that the living spores of the fungus of ringworm may 

 1* transmitted from one animal to another by means of lice. 

 Prof. Kdgar .M. Cr^wikshank contributes a popular paper on 

 " Microl>es in Health and Disea.se,'" and economic botanists 

 will finil much that is interesting in Mr. Ijlenny's |>aper on 

 "The Onion and its Cultivation." This issue aKso contains a 

 schedule of such native wild birds as are "undoubtedly 

 beneficial to agriculture." .Altogether, 38 species are 

 cnumerate<l, and details are given concerning their food, nests, 

 and eggs. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include an .Anubis Balx>on (Cyno,ephnliis annlns, i ), 

 a Leopard (Felis parJus), two Two-s|X)tte<l Paradoxures 

 {NanHinia hinolala), a Sharpe's Wood Owl (Syrninm nnc/iale) 

 from .\ccra, Gold Ci>a.st, presented by Mr. \V. H. .Adams; two 

 Ked-creslerl Cardinals (Paraaria cnaillata) from South .America, 

 presented by Dr. G. Fielding Blandford : a .Small Hill Mynah 

 {Graiula retigiosa) from India, presented by Mr. W. N'orbury ; 

 a Brown Capuchin {Cetiiis falufilus) from Brazil, presented 

 liy .Mr. \V. E. Gibbs ; a .Spiny-tailed Monitor (V'aranns 

 a(anlhiiriis) from Roebuck Bay, West -Australia, presented by 

 Mr. Sa\-ille Kent ; a Campljell's Monkey (Circopilhdus 

 r'ili) from West .Africa, an Egyptian L'rom.Tstix 

 itti.x spini/vs) from Egypt, depKiled ; two .Manlchurian 

 Ctaii',5 {Grns v'iridiroslris) from Xorth China, purchaseil ; two 

 Mule Deer (Carioius matrolis), a Jafianese Deer (Ctn'iis siia), 

 bom in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



^ir. . I I'mirih Vakiabi.e Si ARs. -The recent s|)cclro.scopic 

 of J Ccphci by Bclo|xilsky (Nau'RE, vol. li. 

 j ' "f B I.yr.v by Pickering. I,<x:kyer, and others, 



'■ 've still a great deal to learn .-us to the 



' ■ s in v.iriablesof short |>eriod other than 



ihr.-v it !»■ .\ii:"i TV)"-. In these in(|uirieH, it has twcomc clear 



NO. I 34 I, VOL. 52] 



that a study of the light-curves must go hand-in-hand with that 

 of the spectroscopic changes, and we therefore welcome the 

 )>ubUcation, by Dr. Schur, of new light-curves of S Cephei. 

 II .\quilie, and fl Lynv {Ast. .\'<i./;. J282-S3). The obser- 

 vations were made at Strassburg in the years 1S77-S5 by 

 .Argelander's method, an opera-glass providing the requisite 

 optical aid. 



In the case of S Cephei. the observations and light-curve .-igree 

 very well on the whole with those of Argelander and .Schonfeld, 

 but the interval from minimum to maximum is reduced by Hr. 

 .Schur from id. I4'6h. to id. I37h., and the period derived 

 is 5d. Sh. 47m. 3S'947s., or 1027s. less than that of 

 -Argelander. There does not seem to be any ground for the iilca 

 that the length of the period is sensibly changing. Dr. Schur 

 also obtained distinct evidence of a standstill in the light-curve 

 in the descent to minimum. The period arrived at for 

 7j .Aquilx is about 4s. less than that of .\rgelander, namely. 

 7d. 4h. 13m. 59'3iSs. -A verj' decided "hump"' is shown on the 

 descending side of the light-curve : this is not merely a halt like 

 that in the case of 5 Cephei. but an actual incre.ise of light, 

 commencing about 3d. 2oh. after minimum, and reaching an 

 abortive maximum about twelve hours later. The interval from 

 minimum to maximum is 2d. 6h. The observations of 

 $ Lynt give a light-curve of which the general form is almost 

 identical with that given by .Argelander, but the agreement of 

 indintlual minimum with calculated times is not very goo<i. To 

 bring these into belter agreement, .Argelander's formula is 

 corrected to the following : Epoch 424, Bonn mean lime, 1855 

 Ian. 6, I5h. 2Sm. + I2d. 2ih. 47m. 23s. 72 E -t- Os. 31593S 

 E- - o -000012 1 IS. Iv'. 



The paper givis full details of the observations and their 

 reduction, and its value is incrcised by a plate .showing the 

 forms of the light-curves of the three variables in question. 



The Nice Observ.\tory. — Vol. iv. of the .Innaus of the 

 Nice Observatory is a monument to the industry of the director 

 and staff of the magnificent observatory founded by M. Bischoft- 

 .sheim. M. Perrotin, the director, contributes an elaborate 

 investigation of the ineijualities of the first order in the elements 

 of Vesta, pro<luce(l by the acticm of Jupiter, employing inter- 

 |K>lation methods. M. Javelle furnishes full particulars of 505 

 new nebuUv discovered by him during iSgo and 1S91 with the 

 great eipiatorial of 15 inches aperture. "The positions of these 

 were determined by micrometric measures of distances from 

 compari.son stars, and awaiting accurate meridian observaliims 

 of lhe.se, provisional positions for 1S60 have been computeil. 

 Some of these objects are easily visible, l>ut the majority of them 

 are rather difficult, and others are at the limit of visiliilily of the 

 Nice refractor. .Star clusters have been rigorously excluded 

 from the catalogue. 



The meridian work at the observatory is |>articHlarly directed 

 to the double stars of the Dorpat catalogtie, and the already 

 numerous stars which have been used as comparisons in the 

 observations made with the ei)uatorial. The perioil covered by 

 the present publication is 18S8 .April 5 to 1889 December 23. 



From May 1887 to December 1892, 26 new minor planets 

 were iliscovered at Nice by M. Charlois, the last 1 1 by phoi.i- 

 graphy. -A vast number of observations of these and other minor 

 planets have also been made by M. Charlois, full det<iils of 

 which are recorded in the present volume. Ob.scrvations of 19 

 comets are also included. 



Koi<Ari.i"s Pemhi.im Extkrimknt. — The experimeiual 

 demcmstralion of the earth's rotatiim, devised by Koucault in 

 1S51, hits recently been repeated at the De Ut Salle Training 

 College, Watcrford, on a somewhat smaller scale than in the 

 original exiK'rimenl. The weight of the iK-ndulum bob was 

 19 lbs. , and il was sus)K'nde<l by a wire 37 feet 6 inches in length. 

 To set the pendulum in vibration, the usual method of burning 

 the string by which the bc-b is tethered was employetl. Thirty- 

 three observations of the hourly motion of the pendulum plane 

 were made during I'ebruary anil March of the present year, and 

 the mean result w.as if 48', the calculaleil value being 

 II* 53' 37". The lime of the earth"s rotatiim, or length of the 

 siilereal day. thus tieduced is 24h. 7m. 30s., an amount only 

 alx)ul llm. in excess of the true lime. l*"oucauIt's observations 

 gave 23h. 33m. 57s. as the lime of rotatiim. Particulars of the 

 Watermrd e\|X!riment, and an explanation of the principles 

 involved, are given by Dr. M. V. o'Ueilly in /in.,-ine,iiii/;, 

 July 5. 



