January io, 1895J 



NA rURE 



253 



The publication of Mr. Hutchinson's " Archives of 

 Surgery," which has lapsed for six months, is now being 

 resumed. No. 21 will appear in a few days, with additional 

 letterpress as well as nine plates, and this number, which com- 

 fliences vol. vi., will contain a chronology of medicine from 

 the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. The publishers will in 

 future be Messrs. West, Newman, and Co. 



A ROUGH list (No. 147) of rare and valuable books for sale, 

 has been issued by Mr. Bernard Quaritch. The list includes 

 a number of important archaeological works, and a few works 

 belonging to the natural sciences. Mr. W. F. Clay has also 

 just issued a list of scientific books, including the works on 

 chemistry lately purchased by him from the library of the late 

 Prince Lucien Buonaparte. 



We have received a copy of El Obrero, a fortnightly papei 

 published at Quito, Ecuador, with a summary of meteorological 

 observations made at the astronomical observatory at that 

 place for the month of September. Observations in that 

 locality are very desirable, and we are glad to see that their 

 publication is to be continued, and copies to be distributed to a 

 number of places. 



The Meteorological Office of Argentina has ji'st issued 

 vol. ix. of its Anales in two large quarto parts, forming a 

 splendid contribution to the climatology of that part of the 

 globe. The first part, which contains 678 pages, gives the 

 observations and the means deduced from them, for Cordova, 

 during the years 1872-1892 ; while the second part, which ex- 

 tends to 400 pa^^es, contains an exhaustive discussion of the 

 data, and of the influence of the various elements on each other, 

 t.g. of wind on temperature, &c. It is not possible to give in 

 a brief space any summary of so comprehensive a work. W^e 

 merely note that the monthly mean temperature varies between 

 73° in January and 50' in June. The rainfall varies considerably ; 

 the mean of a number of years gives about 26 inches. The 

 Director of the .Service is G. G. Davis, who is also a member of 

 the International Meteorological Committee, and attended the 

 meeting at Upsala in August last. 



Science Gossip is now one of the brightest and most diversi- 

 fied monthlies for the lover of science. The January number is 

 remarkably good. Mr. J. T. Carrington, one of the editors, 

 contributes a number of replies he has received to a letter ask- 

 ing for an opinion upon the use of the word "scientist." The 

 word is never allowed knowingly to appear in contributions 

 toNATURE. .'V twin-elliptic pendulum, exhibited by Mr. Joseph 

 Gould at the Royal Society's soirees last year, is described by 

 the inventor, and seven exceedingly fine figures, drawn by means 

 of the apparatus, are reproduced. There is also a summary of 

 Schiaparelli's views about Mars ; and a page of astronomical 

 ■ephenierides and notes, as well as scientific news, and notes on 

 various branches of natural science. We are glad to see that 

 •physical science comes in for a fair share of attention, but there 

 is still room for improvement. 



Six volumes have lately been added to the comprehensive 

 series of reprints, " Ostwald's Klassiker der Exakten Wissen- 

 schaften," published by Engelmann, of Leipzig. No. 54 con- 

 tains J. H. Lambert's paper, published in 1772, on the projec- 

 tion of terrestrial and celestial maps. The fidlowing number is 

 also on map projection, and is made up of memoirs by Lagrange 

 ;i779) and Gauss (1822). Translations of two papers by Sir 

 Charles Blagden, from the Philosophical Transactions for 1788, 

 appear in No. 56. The subject is the effect of various substances 

 in lowering the freezing point of water. Treatises on thermometry 

 lind a place in No. 57, which includes five of Fahrenheit's 

 papers, three of Reaumur's, and a paper by Celsius. The 

 volume thus comprises all the important communications con- 



nected with the foundation of the three thermometric scales. 

 The classical work of Scheele on the nature of air and of fire is 

 reprinted in No. 58 of the series ; and No. 59 contains Otto von 

 Guericke's experiments with Magdeburg hemispheres, carried 

 out in 1672. The quaint illustrations of the original paper give 

 this volume additional interest. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Black-eared Marmoset (HapaU penicillala) 

 from South-east Brazil, presented by the Lord Auckland ; a 

 Pardine Genet (Gmetta pardina), a Two-spotted Paradoxure 

 INauJinia binotata) from West .Africa, presented by Lieut. 

 F. E. W. Batt ; a Sparrow Hawk [Accipiler nisiis), British, 

 presented by Mr. A. .M. Lees Milne ; two Long-nosed Croco- 

 diles (Crocodihis cataphraclcs) from West Africa, presented 

 by Captain F. W. Raisin ; a Robben Island Snake (Coronella 

 phocarum) from South Africa, presented by Mr. G. R. Picton 

 Thwaites ; two Grey Parrots \Psillacus erilhactis) from West 

 Africa, deposited. 



Erratum.— la NATURE of December 13, 1894, p. 157, 

 column two, line one, for "of a" read "near the." The 

 cascade represented in the note serves to show clearly the 

 overhanging ledge of limestone. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Greater Nebula of Orion. — The numerous photo- 

 graphs that have been taken by means of portrait lenses during 

 the past few years, go to show that many of the so-called 

 celestial spaces are really filled with filmy nebulosities. Dr. 

 Roberts's classical photograph greatly extended the limits of the 

 old Theta nebula in Oiion, but few astronomers would care to 

 say that it represents the great " tumultous cloud " in its 

 entirety. Indeed, three photographs obtained by Prof. W. H. 

 Pickering in 1889, with a portrait lens, revealed a large zone of 

 nebulosity surrounding the belt and sword handle, and extend- 

 ing towards y Orionis. The significance of these photographs 

 has perhaps been somewhat overlooked, but attention is again 

 directed to them by a paper communicated by Prof. E. E. 

 Barnard to Astronotny and Astro-Physics for December. By 

 means of a lens only li inches in diameter and 3! inches focus, 

 Prof. Barnard has recently taken two photographs of the Orion 

 constellation t (or the lens takes in nearly the whole constella- 

 tion at one view), with exposures of two hours and one hour 

 fifteen minutes respectively. These pictures show "an enor- 

 mous curved nebulosity encircling the belt and the great nebula, 

 and covering a large portion of the body of the giant." With- 

 out doubt, the nebulous stream which has left its impression 

 upon Prof. Barnard's photographs, is the same as that of which 

 the existence was recorded by Prof. Pickering. The "Great 

 Nebula" in Orion is therrfore but a pigmy compared with the 

 greater nebula thus revealed. It is not too much to believe 

 that in a few years the immense band of nebulosity will be 

 shown to be more or less filled with luminous haze, the old 

 nebula being probably but the brightest part of a nebula 

 involving the whole constellation. 



The Transit of Mercury. — We have already noted 

 observations of the transit of Mercury on November 10, 1894, 

 made in Europe and America. News has now reached us of suc- 

 cessful observations, made under the direction of Mr. J. P. 

 Thomson, at Mr. F. D. G. Stanley's Observatory, Brisbane. The 

 instrument employed was a 6 inch equatorial byGrubb, stopped 

 down to four inches. Times of contact at egress were carefully 

 taken. When the planet had come sufficiently above the 

 horizon to be observable, it had advanced about two-thirds 

 across the solar surface. The whole periphery of Mercury was 

 remarkably clear and well-defined. There w.as no trace of haze 

 or vapourous aureola around the disc of the planet, but a bright 

 spot was distinctly seen near the centre. \\ the instant of in- 

 ternal contact at egress there was a faint phenomenon resembling 

 ligament. This, however, was only momentary. When the 

 external contact occurred, the planet's limb tangential with that 

 of the sun was remarkably clear and sharp. There was not a 

 trace of disturbance, and the phase was regarded as a pure 



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