March 7, 1895] 



NATURE 



443 



Fabriques is afforded by a ponderous volume, the second edition 

 of which has been received from the Association. The volume 

 is entitled "Collection of Appliances and Apparatus for the 

 Prevention of Accidents in Factories." It is illustrated by 

 thirty-seven finely-drawn plates, and the text is printed in 

 French, German, and English. The London agents are Messrs. 

 Dulau and Co. What strikingly indicates the high motives 

 which actuate the Association is that the volume is published 

 at the price it cost to reproduce. The one object of publication 

 is to spread the knowledge, and encourage the adoption, of the 

 numerous appliances devised for the prevention of accidents 

 from machinery. The factory inspector and manager, the 

 mechanical engineer, and all others who are concerned in the 

 construction and use of machinery, should see this very useful 

 volume. 



We have received the first two numbers (1892-1893) of the 

 yearly Bulletin of the Geolo^i'.al Iiistitittion of the University 

 of Upsala. This is a publication that should be of great 

 interest to all British geologists whose work lies among the 

 Lower Palaeozoic rocks, since on those strata Swedish researches 

 have thrown so much light. Among the contents are two 

 papers by C. Wiman, on the structure of Graptolites ; strati- 

 graphical papers, by the same- author, and J. G. Andersson ; 

 petrographical and mineralogical papers, by Prof. Nordenskiold 

 and H. Sjijgren ; and others. Nine plates in all, illustrate 

 the numbers. The papers are all in either English or German 

 I'rench is the only other language permitted) ; this will be satis- 

 factory to those British geologists who have found the 

 Swedish language a serious barrier to the study of important 

 Ideological papers in the past. We may add that the Bulletin 

 will be sent, not only to all geological institutions, but also 

 t > all private workers who send their publications regularly in 

 exchange. 



Among the new editions received during the past week, is 

 Ihe second edition of the "Introduction to Physiological 

 Psychology" (Swan Sonnenschein and Co.), translated from 

 !he revised and enlarged second German edition of Dr. 

 Trichen's work, reviewed in these columns four years ago (vol. 

 xliv. p. 145). The chief addition is a chapter upon the 

 emotional lone of the ideas. Another new edition (the fourth), 

 ust received, is "A Treatise on Elementary Trigonometry" 

 l^ongmans. Green, and Co.), by Dr. John Casey, F.R. S., 

 edited by Prof. P. A. E. Dowling. This little work has found 

 favour among many teachers and students, and the nuw issue 

 should be even more popular. Dr. W. \\. Besant's "Conic 

 Sections" (George Bell and Sons) has reached a ninth edition. 

 1 lie articles on reciprocal polars have been expanded into a 

 separate chapter, and a chapter on conical projections has been 

 inserted. Two other books, which maybe included among new 

 issues, belong [to the handy series of Economic Classics pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Macmillan and Co. One consists of select 

 chapters and passages from Adam Smith's "Wealth of 

 Nations " ; the other contains the first six chapters of Ricardo's 

 " Principles of Political Economy and Taxation." 



Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein and Co. have in the press 

 an important work on the Indian Calendar, written by Mr- 

 Robert Sewell, in collaboration with Mr. Sankara Balkrishna 

 Oikshit. The work contains complete tables for the verification 

 of Hindu and Muhammadan dates for a period of 1600 years 

 (a.u. 300 to 1900), and forms an attempt to carry out in prac- 

 tical form the exact fixation of the astronomical phenomena on 

 which the Hindu Calendar depends, and without which no con- 

 version of dates into European reckoning can be safely relied 

 upon. It embraces the whole of India. The calculations have 

 been based on the general tables published by Prof. Jacobi, of 

 Bonn, checked and enlarged by Mr. S. Balkrishna Dikshit. 

 NO. 1323, VOL. 51] 



The precise position of sun and moon at sunrise on the meridian 

 of Ujjain on the first day of each year of the Luni-solar 

 Calendar during the period referred to is given, and for the 

 Solar Calendar the moment of the sun's passing the first point 

 of Aries in each year is entered in time reckoning. Full details 

 for the addition and suppression of months in the intercalary 

 Luni-solar years are provided; and where necessary the cal- 

 culations have been made for true as well as mean intercalations. 

 The solar phenomena have, moreover, been computed by both 

 the .\rya and Surya Siddhcintas. It is hoped that the volume 

 will form a standard work of reference for chronologists, as well 

 as for all courts and offices in India. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during 

 the past week include a Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis, 9 ) two 

 Sable Antelopes {Hippotragus niger, i 9 ) two Brindled Gnus 

 (Connoch.iles taurina, i 9 ), a Levaillant's Cynictis (Cynictis 

 penicillata) from South Africa, two great Eagle Owls (Bubo 

 maximus), European, purchased ; two Rock-hopper Penguins 

 [Eudyptes chrysocome] from New Zealand, four Black Franco- 

 lins (Franeolinus vulgaris) from India, a Robben Island Snake 

 {Corondla phocarum) from South Africa, deposited ; a Black- 

 headed Gull {Larus ridibundus), British, presented by Mrs. 



Rees Davis; a Buzzard (Biiteo, sp. inc.) from South 



Africa, presented by Mr. J. E. Matcham ; a Robben 

 Island Snake (Coroiiella phocarum) from South Africa, 

 presented by Dr. Arthur D. Bensusan. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



SrECTROscopic Measures of Planetary Velocities. — 

 A new feature in the application of the Doppler-Fizeau prin- 

 ciple has been recently brought forward by M. Deslandres 

 (Comptes renJus, Feb. 25). It is to the effect that when we 

 observe the spectrum of a body shining by reflected light the 

 displacement of the lines due to movements in the line of sight 

 depends upon the movement of the body with respect to the 

 original source of light, as well as on its movement with regard 

 to the observer. 



The truth of this principle is demonstrated by an investigation 

 of the rotation of Jupiterwhich M. Deslandres has carried out with 

 his usual skill. The equatorial linear velocity of the planet is I2'4 

 kilometres, and the difference of the velocities of the two extreme 

 edges 24'8 kilometres ; actual measurements of the spectrum 

 photographs taken near opposition, however, show a relative 

 movement of twice this amount. The best results appear to 

 have been obtained by allowing the equator of the planet to lie 

 along the slit of the spectroscope, in which case the eflect of the 

 displacements at different distances from the centre is obviously to 

 produce an inclination of the lines of the planet spectrum to the 

 lines of the comparison spectrum, and this inclination affords the 

 means of determining the velocities. Ttiis method has the 

 advantage that the effects of small movements of the image on 

 the slit during the long exposure necessary with the great dis- 

 persion employed are of little consequence ; movements in 

 declination will have no effect on the inclination of the lines, 

 and movements in right ascension will only tend to make them 

 somewhat more diffuse. 



M. Deslandres points out that the new principle may possibly 

 have many important applications in connection with planetary 

 velocities, among whicn he specially mentions the determination 

 of the rotation period of Venus, and even possibly of the solar 

 parallax, the latter being derived from the radial velocity of 

 Venus. M. Poincarc shows that M. Deslandres' results are 

 quite in accordance with theoretical considerations. 



The Satelli rES or Mars.— Prof. Campbell, of the Lick 

 Observatory, took advantage of the recent opposition o( Mars 

 to secure a long series ot micrometric measurements of the 

 satellites with the 3-foot telescope (Astr. Journal, No. 337). 

 The reduction of the observations of Phobos shows that the 

 eastern elongation distance was nearly a second greater than 

 I the western, whereas Hall's observations in 1877 showed that 

 the distance at western elongatipn was then about 2"'2 greater 



