August i, 1895] 



NATURE 



327 



In addition to the necessary routine work, several researches 

 were carried out, and the results of some of these investigations 

 are embodied in the report. Mr. M. A. Brannon, who occupied 

 the Garden's table at the Wood's Holl Marine Biological 

 Laboratorj', has his studies on Grinnellia nearly ready for 

 jiublication. The Director, Mr. \V. Trelease, has made a large 

 collection of the flora of the Azores, and is now working at it. 

 The collection fully represents the flora of those islands, and adds 

 somewhat to what is known of the distribution of species through 

 the group. The papers included in the present report are : — 

 " Revision of the North American Species of Sagittaria and 

 Lophotocarpus," by Mr. J. G. Smith, who also describes a few 

 new or little known species; " Leitiieria Floridana," by Mr. 

 Trelease. " Studies on the Dissemination and Leaf Reflection 

 of Yucca aloifolia and other Species," by Mr. H. J. Webber ; 

 and " Notes on the Mound Flora of Atchison County, Missouri,'' 

 by Mr. B. I". Bush. The report is illustrated by sixty excellent 

 plates. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during 

 the past week include a Rhesus Monkey (Macacus rhesus, 9 ) 

 from India, presented by Captain Fitzgerald ; " Common 

 Marmoset (Hapalc Jacc/iiis) from South-East Brazil, presented 

 by Mrs. Florence Cowlard ; a Serval (Felts serz'al), a White- 

 necked Stork (Dissura episcopiis), a Vocifereous Sea Eagle 

 (Haliatiis voci/er), an Antarctic Skua (Stenorariits antanticHs) 

 from Mozambique, presented by Mr. W. A. Churchill ; a 

 Cardinal Grosbeak (Cardinalis virgiiiianus) from North 

 America, a Lazuline Finch (Guiraca pare/liita) from Mexico, 

 presented by Miss E. A. Krumbholz ; an Orbicular Horned 

 Lizard {Phrynosoma orbiciilare) from California, presented by 

 Miss Mabel Baker; a Frilled Lizard (Chlamydosaiiriis kingi) 

 from Roebuck Bay, West Australia, presented by Mr. Saville- 

 Kent ; an Orang-outang (Siiiiia safyriis, ? ) from Borneo, 

 three Pratincoles (G/areola pratincola), European, an Eyed 

 Lizard (Lacerta ocellata) from North Africa, a Brazilian 

 'Xo\Ui\^(Testudo tabulata), a Black Tortoise (7'<?rf«rftf carbon- 

 aria) from Brazil, deposited ; two Plumed Ground Doves 

 (Geophaps plutnifera), bred in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



TERRF.STRiAi. Hki.ilm. — The discovery by Messrs. Runge 

 and Paschen of the duplicity of the bright yellow line seen in 

 the spectrum of the gas obtained from cleveite, and of its apparent 

 non-coincidence with the solar D3 line, as announced in Nati're 

 of June 6, has naturally led to the re-observation of the solar 

 line. 



Mr. Lockyer informs us that on June 14, observing in the 

 fourth order spectrum of a grating having 14,438 lines to the 

 inch, he found the 1), line in the chromosphere to have a con- 

 siderable breadth with rather uncertain indications of doubling, 

 while in the spectrum of a prominence the line was much better 

 defined, and was distinctly double, the less refrangible component 

 being the fainter, as in the case of the gas from cleveite. 



Writing under date June 25 (Ast. Nach 3302), Prof. G. E. 

 Hale gives a preliminary account of the observations he has 

 made with the powerful spectroscope of the Kenwood Obser- 

 witory. To eliminate the efl'ect of the sun's rotation in dis- 

 placing the lines, observations were made of the chromosphere 

 at the sun's north and south pfiles. 



On June 19 and 20 the chromospheric line was found to be 

 0'54 tenth metres broad, the wave-length of the middle being 

 determined as 5875'924. In the spectrum of each of two 

 prominences observed on June 20 and 21, an inconspicuous 

 bright line was detected on the less refrangible side of D3, both 

 lines being narrow and sharp, and the distance between them 

 being o'357 tenth metres. "The absence of metallic lines, other 

 than II and K, indicated that the fainter line was probably not 

 due to the accidental proximity to Dj of a faint metallic line. 

 Further observations on June 24 showed that the broad line in 

 the chromosphere was also divisible into two parts, and it 



NO. 1344. VOL. 52] 



became evident that the wave-length of the Dj line determined 

 on June 19 and 20, as well as that determined by Rowland, 

 must be affected by an error on account of the presence of the 

 faint line on the less refrangible side. So far. Prof. Hale has 

 not succeeded in obtaining a measure of the wave-length of the 

 more refrangible and brighter of the solar Dj lines, considered as 

 a separate line. 



The results so far obtained may be stated as follows : — 



A. of solar Dj line (Rowland) 5875-982 



„ (Hale) . 5875"924 



,, brightest component of terrestrial line 



(Runge and Paschen) 587S'883 



Distance apart of components of terrestrial line 



(Runge and Paschen) 0'323 



Distance apart of components of solar D3 (Hale) o'357 



The wave-length of the brighter component of the solar D3 

 line remains to be determined before the question of the identity 

 of the solar and terrestrial gas can be regarded as completely set 

 at rest. 



The announcement that the yellow line of the gas from cleveite 

 was double, also led Dr. Huggins to observe the chromospheric 

 line. In his first attempts he failed to see the line double 

 [Chemical Neivs, No. 1855), but he now states that he clearly 

 saw the line to be double on July 10, 11, and 13, the less 

 refrangible line being the fainter, and the distance apart of the 

 lines being about the same as that of the lines in the cleveite gas 

 according to Runge and Paschen (Ast. Nach. 3302). 



It is worth recalling that Belopolsky observed the solar D3 line 

 to be double in May 1894, and ascribed the appearance to the 

 superposition of a telluric line upon the bright line. Prof Hale's 

 observations demonstrate very clearly that Belopolsky's explana- 

 tion cannot possibly account for the doubling of the line as 

 observed by him. 



Ephemeris for B.\rnard's Comet, 1884 II. — The follow- 

 ing search ephemeris for the return of this comet is due to 

 Dr. Berberich (.ist. Nach. 3301) : — 



R.A. Decl. 



h. m. s. , , 



Aug. 2 2 23 9 -1- 12 29 



6 2 29 7 13 I9'5 



10 2 34 30 14 6'8 



14 2 39 16 14 50'9 



18 2 43 23 15 319 



22 2 46 48 16 97 



The positions are for Berlin midnight, and are computed on the 

 assumption that the comet will pass through perihelion on 

 June 3. On June 30, Swift discovered a nebulous object in 

 R.A. 20°, decl. -f 2° 55', which was missing on July 4, and was 

 thought to be a possible return of the comet for which the 

 ephemeris is given above. Dr. Berberich states that the 

 observation by Swift does not fit closely into the orbit. 



The AiGfsT Meteors. — Shooting stars from various 

 radiants appear during the month of August : but the most 

 important shower is that of the Perseids. These are \'isible for 

 a considerable jieriod, with a maximum on August 10. .\ccord- 

 ing to Mr. Denning, the radiant point exhibits an easterly 

 motion among the stars ; on the loth it is situated in R.A. 45', 

 decl. 57" N. ; on August 2 it is in R.A. 36°, decl. 55°, and on 

 August 16 in R..-\. 53°, decl. -I- 58°. The density of the 

 shower varies but little from year to year, the number of meteors 

 seen by one observer on the morning of August 1 1 being from 

 sixty to eighty. Unfortunately the moon rises about nine 

 o'clock on the 10th, so that this year only the brighter meteors 

 will be visible. 



THE SUNS PLACE 

 IX. 



IN NATURE.^ 



T N most of the earlier attempts which w ere made to explain the 

 origin of new stars, the leading idea w,as that of a single body 

 being suddenly disturbed in some way, with the ])ossible result 

 that the heat of its interior became manifested at the surface. 

 Thus Zcillner, in 1865, suggested that the phenomena might be 



1 Revised from shorthand notes of a course of I.ecturcs to Working Men 

 at the Museum of Practical GeoIog>' during November and December, 

 1894. (Continued from p.ige ?55). 



