450 



NATURE 



[Septkmblr 5, 1895 



no continuous al>s<>rption in the violet or ultra-violet, and the 

 spectrum is one with simple line absorption, the iron lines quite 

 ilisap|iearing after such a star as o Cygni is passed. The new 

 lines which now make their appearance include the chromo- 

 spheric line at X 447 1 , and ]xissibly a few others. Il is important 

 lo note that the photographic region of the spectnmi of the 

 chromosphere has not yet lieen fully investigated, and hence a 

 fair comparison with the sjwctra of these stars in the region F 

 to K is not yet possible. M. Deslandres and I'rof. Hale have 

 photographed the chroniospheric spectrum in the region more 

 refrangible than li, but have not as yet published any account of 

 the s|)ectrum in the region now under discussion. 



The HotlesI Stars. 



The conditions required by the hyixjthesis with regard lo the 

 stars at this stage are satisfied by such stars as f Cassiopeia* and 

 a .\ndromed:e. 



In these stars we have — 



(a) Broad lines of hydrogen, and 



(*) Other absorption lines, chiefly of untraced origins, agree- 

 ing in position with some of the bright lines w hich ap])ear in 

 nebula.'. 



It will be .seen, then, that these considerations of the con- 

 ditions of increasing temperature demanded by the hypothesis, 

 have enabled us lo determine that a long series of stellar spectra 

 is in all probability a series in ascending order of temperature. 

 All the phenomena we should expect, on the hy|K>thesis, are 

 met with among the photographs. 



We have next to consider the phenomena connected w ith stars 

 of decreasing tcmiierature. 



Stars of Decnasing Teniperaltire. 



(Stage I.) With the failure of the supply of meteorites falling 

 into the now va]Kjuiis2d mass, cooling will rounnence. and the 

 longest lines in the spectra of the various chemical elements 

 should make their ap|>earance. This condition is met u ith and 

 is well cvidenceil by the iron lines in the spectnnn of Sirius. 



(Stage 2.) The conditions at this stage of cooling are satisfied 

 by 5 Cassiopeia-, ./3 Cassiopeia, a Canis .Minoris. In these 

 stars we get, in addition to fairly broad lines of hydrogen, nearly 

 all the lines which appear in the solar spectrum, and these, il is 

 well known, agree in the main with the arc spectra of the various 

 chemical element.s. 



(Stage 3. ) Such stars as Capella and Arcturus represent the 

 conditions which are re<)uired by the hy|>othesls at this stage 

 of ciKjling. The metallic line absorption is again at a maximum, 

 antl w-e find the lines of the various chemical elements simitar 

 lo those seen at St.age 2 of the ascending series, but with 

 difierent intensities and with dift'eient amounts of continuous 

 absorption at the violet end of the s|iectrum. This difference, 

 so far as the known lines arc concerned, will be due to a 

 different percentage composition of the absorbing ma.ss of 

 va[M.ur, 



Continii lion in the violet recommences at this stage. 



There i> eviilence of carbon in the solar spectrum, 



and in iIk .|,. ...h of .Arcturus— the only star which has yet 

 been invesligaleil with special reference to this point. 



Hence, it seems proliable that " the indications of carbon 

 will go on increasing in intensity slow ly, until a stage is reached, 

 when, owing lo the reduction of lem|)erature of the most effective 

 absorbing layer, the chief absorption will be that of carbon." 



Il is evident that all such stars will l)e dim, and hence their 

 spectra have nol been met with in this preliminary survey of the 

 photographic S|x-clra of the brighter stars. 



i',ncral A'esii/ls of the Pismssioii. 



I [K- !;■ nir.ii result of the above discussion ihin, as far as 

 il g'lL-s, IS .Ts follows : — ,\mong the 171 stars alreailyconsiilered 

 '.here are really Iwn series of s|)cclra, one representing the 

 chaiigi> accompanying increase of temperalure, while the other 

 represents the effects of decreasing tem|ieralure. The funda- 

 ■ menial reijuiremenl of the mcleoritic hypothesis is, therefore, 

 fully {iislified by the discussion of the photographs. 



A ' point in conneclion with tlie twd series 



of 1 is that one siieclrum, such as that of 



«-\i - ■ 'haracleristus connnon to liolh, and 



wc might, ilr M,;ci the two series together by this 



spcctnim. Ill OiMiilil find, if we commence with the 



first si>ectrum in Series I, say thai of o Herculis, that the con 

 tinuous absorption diminishes and that the breadth of tin 

 hydrogen lines regularly increases, until such a speclmm as tli.ii 

 of a. .\ndromeda' is reached. Then the condition would In 

 reversed, the breadth of the hydrogen lines diminishing and llu 

 continuous absorption in the ultra-\-iolel increasing in exieni 

 until such a star as .\rclurus is reached. 



Il may be stated finally that the sequence now determined 

 from the photographs follows exactly the .same order as tlio 

 groups originally suggested by the h)pothesis, from a discussicMi 

 of the eye observations. That is, il is nol necessiiry to inter- 

 change any of the groups in order to obtain agreement with ihe 

 photographic results. J. Norman Locicvi;k. 



SCIENCE IN THE MAGAZINES. 



pUOFS. WEISMANX, llaeckel, and Karl I'earson will pro- 

 ■*■ bably have .something lo say in reply to a paper which Dr. ,Si. 

 Cleorge Mivart contributes lo the I'ortnif;htty. The paper dials 

 with what is described as " Denominational Science,"' in whiih 

 dogma lakes the place of facts, and persuasions are given out as 

 if they were demonstrated truths. Dr. Weismann comes under 

 Dr. St. (ieorge Mivarl's displeasure in this regard : and a note- 

 worthy characteristic of his is .said lo be " the confidence witlt 

 which he propounds hypotheses which are either inirely ima- 

 ginary, or are only supported by an infinitesimal basis of fact, 

 and the readiness with which he comes forward with a fresh 

 gratuitous hypothesis, to replace others which have been refuted 

 by newly-discovered truths." I'rof. Haeckel is taken to task for 

 Ihe i)pinions exjiressed in his book on " .Monism," lately tr.ans- 

 laled into Knglish. The bearing of Dr. St. (Ieorge Mivart 

 towards the book is indicated by the remark which o|iens ihe 

 attack upon some of the points in it. We read : " Il is difficult 

 to say whether this small volume is more remarkable for the 

 self-conceit and em|ily dogmatism, or for the ignorance it 

 disjilays — ignorance concerning the most fundamental ([ueslions 

 of which its treats.'" To assess these remarks at their propii 

 value, il is necessary to read the article containing tlicm, and 

 the work lo which they refer. Prof. Karl Tearson compKus 

 the trio upon whose views Dr. .St. lleorge Mivart outpours llie 

 vialsofhis wralh. His "drammar of Science," and his remar!^s. 

 in the horlnii^htly, on Lord .Salisbury's Oxford address, are gi\en 

 as evidence thai " we ha\e in England a denominational writer 

 only second in self-confident dogmatism to Il.aeckel." .Ml the 

 members of the trio are held up as awful ex.amples of " an uncon- 

 .scious slavery of the intellect to the mere faculty of the iinnginal 

 tion, and the consequent presenlatiim of shallow and iU0gic.1l 

 imaginary pliantasms as deep and far-reaching intellectual 

 truths in the form of b.aseless ilogmas of denominaliiinal science." 

 Huxley and Karl \"ogl are compared by I'rof. llaeckel in the 

 Forlnii;/i/l}\ the former being given a higher place than the 

 latter, l>oth as regards his philosophical rca.sonings, and because 

 he showed a much deeper insight into the essence and import 

 of scientific things. Two pages of the six, which form I'rof. 

 Haeckels notice, are taken up with a denunciation of I'rof. 

 \'irchow's antagonism to Darwinism, and the theory of descent, 

 especially with reference to the most important deduction from 

 the theory — the descent of man from the ape. \'irchow's dissent 

 in this matter is used as one of the slicks with which Mr. V. II. 

 Hill belabours .agno.slicism, and Huxley's .support of it, in the 

 Naliona/, under the title, " (laps in .Vgnostic Kvolution." 



Mr. HerlKTl .Si>encer continues his analysis of " Professional 

 Institutions," in the Coiileiiiforary, the evoluliim of the bio- 

 grapher, historian, and man of letters being traced this month 

 " The primitive orator, poet, and musician," says Mr. Spencer, 

 " w.as at the same time the primitive biographer, historian, and 

 man of letters. The hero s deeds constituted the common 

 .subjecl-maller ; anil taking this or thai form, Ihe celebration ol 

 them l)ecame, now ihe oration, now the song, now ihe recited 

 poem, now that personal history \\hich constitutes a biograjihy, 

 now that larger history which a.ssociales the doings of one with 

 the doings of many, aiul now that variously-developed 

 comment on men's iloings, and the course of things which 

 con.stilutc literature." Thus arose the rudimenls of biography, 

 history, and literature ; and many facts illustrative of this early 

 deveU>pmenl are ciled. I'iclion developed out of biography and 

 j history, and gradually a class of story-tellers became tlifferentiated. 

 I lndee<i, for a time after fiction comes into existence, il is .still 

 ; classed and believed as biography. In our own limes, we find 



NO. 1349. VOL. 52] 



