488 



NATURE 



[September ii, 1890 



The deceased astronomer published many observations of 

 planets, comets, and the sun, and directed some attention to the 

 determination of the height of the aurora borealis. He also 

 published a memoir on atmospheric refraction, and participated 

 in many geodetical observations. 



Fearnley's death is severely felt by those with whom he came 

 in contact. 



United States Naval Observatory, Washington.— 

 The report of the superintendent of the U. S. Naval Observa- 

 tory for the year ending June 30, 1889, has just been issued, and 

 contains an account of the work done in each department. 



The large equatorial has been employed in observing double 

 stars and the satellites of Saturn ; attention also being paid to 

 the division on the ring and to the shadows. 



Seventeen hundred observations have been made with the 

 transit circle since October 9, 1888 ; of this number 68 were of 

 the sun, 60 of the moon, 93 of the major planets, 18 of the 

 minor planets, and 5 of Comet e 1888. 



The 9'6-inch equatorial has been used for the identification of 

 stars whenever necessary, and for the observations of small 

 planets, comets, and occultation of stars by the moon. During 

 the past year 3 comets were seen and observed whenever possible. 

 Two nights a week this instrument is set apart for the ac- 

 commodation of visitors, and permits for 1665 visitors were 

 issued. 



Assistant-Astronomer H. M. Paul, who has for the last year 

 and a half been here observing suspected variables, has just dis- 

 covered a new variable in the constellation Antlia, with a period 

 of less than 12 hours, the shortest period yet known. 



The chronometer and time service, under the charge of 

 Lieutenant Taylor, have been doing good work. Fifty-six 

 chronometers received from the makers, cleaned, and repaired, 

 were tested in the temperature-room for a period of about two 

 months. Chronometers were issued to eleven ships and one 

 shore station, and the same number were received back. 



No alteration has been made in the routine of sending out 

 time signals, which are telegraphed every day, Sundays and 

 holidays excepted. 



In the magnetic department under the charge of Ensign 

 Marsh, observations have been made on Tuesdays each 

 week for the determination of the absolute horizontal intensity, 

 and on each month they were made with the inertia cylinder 

 attached to the magnet. Observations on the magnetic inclina- 

 tion, using three needles in rotation, were made every Monday 

 and Friday. Two seismoscopes and a seismograph have been 

 added to the stock of instruments, and they have been set up 

 and are in good working order. 



The library, which has lately been placed under the charge of 

 Assistant- Astronomer Paul, in addition to his other duties, con- 

 tains, up to June 30, 12,226 volumes and 2696 pamphlets, of 

 which the accessions, since the last Report, have been 308 in 

 number, 235 volumes and 73 pamphlets. 



The appendix contains a report of the work done during the 

 past year, by Prof. William Harkness, who was attached for 

 special duty as a member of the Transit of Venus Commission, 

 and had charge of the reductions and computations of the ob- 

 servations of 1874 and 1882. The result of his work is the de- 

 termination of the sun's distance to be 92,455,000 miles, with a 

 probable error of 123,400 miles. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Entomological Society, September 3. — Mr. Henry T. 

 Stainton, F.R.S., in the chair. — Mr. C. Fenn exhibited and 

 remarked on specimens of Eupithecia satyrata, Eudorea am- 

 bigualis, and Tortrix viburnana from Darlington. — Mr. H. 

 Goss exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Martin S. Higgs, a remark- 

 able variety of Melitaa aurinia (artemis), taken a few years 

 ago, in Gloucestershire, by Mr. Joseph Merrin. — The Rev. Dr. 

 Walker communicated some observations on the entomology of 

 Iceland, and gave an account of his recent travels in that island. 

 He stated that he had taken Bombus terrestris this year, for the 

 first time, in the north-west of Iceland, from which quarter of 

 the island it had not been recorded by Dr. Staudinger ; he also 

 referred to the enormous numbers of Ichneumonidas andDiptera 

 which he had noticed in the island. He further stated that in 

 1889, in the months of June and July, Noctua conjlua was the 

 most abundant species of Lepidoptera in Iceland ; but that this 

 year, in July and August, Crymodes exults was the prevailing 



NO. 1089, VOL. 42] 



species, and that Charceas graminis and Coremia munitata also 

 occurred in great numbers. In reply to a question by Mr. 

 Stainton, Dr. Walker said that the flowers chiefly frequented by 

 the humble-bees were those of a small species of white Galium 

 (probably Galium saxatile) and Viola tricolor. Dr. Walker 

 also read notes on Calathus melanocephalus collected in Ice- 

 land and the Faroe Isles in June and July 1890. Messrs. 

 M'Lachlan, Stainton, Jenner Weir, Stevens, Jacoby, Lewis, 

 and others took part in the discussion which ensued. — Mr. 

 Arthur G. Butler communicated a paper entitled "Further 

 Notes on the Synonymy of the Genera of Noctuites." 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, September i. — M. Duchartre in the 

 chair. —MM. G. Seguy and Verschaffel gave a description of a 

 photometer founded upon the principle of Crooke's radiometer. — 

 M. Faye announced the publication of the Cunnaissance des 

 Temps for 1892. — Influence of altitude on the development of 

 plants, by M. Gaston Bonnier. The author has observed that 

 the amount of carbon dioxide decomposed by plants increases 

 with the altitude. Plants cultivated in an Alpine climate 

 undergo a modification of their functions such that the chloro- 

 phyllian assimilation and transpiration are augmented, whilst 

 respiration and transpiration in the dark appear little modified 

 or slightly diminished. — On the chlorophyllian assimilation of 

 trees with red leaves, by M. Henri Jumelle. The author has 

 investigated the diff"erence of physiological functions in the 

 leaves of the green and red type of such trees as the beech, syca- 

 more, elm, &c. He finds :(i) in trees with red or coppery- 

 coloured leaves the chlorophyllian assimilation is always more 

 feeble than in trees of the same kind having green leaves ; (2) 

 the intensity in th^ copper beech and purple sycamore is only 

 about one-sixth that of the ordinary types of the same trees. — 

 On the oospores formed by the fusion of multi-nuclei sexual ele- 

 ments, by M. P. A. Dangeard. The author has studied the 

 sexual reproduction of plants of a lower order. — First observa- 

 tions on the cyclone of August 19 in Jura, by M. Bourgeat. A 

 circumstantial account of the St. Claud cyclone is given. It is 

 noted that the lower parts of the region visited by the storm 

 suff'ered the most, that the direction of the gyratory movement 

 was opposite to that of the hands of a watch, that the velocity 

 of translation was about I kilometre a minute, and that the 

 zone ravaged had a breadth from 500 to 1000 metres. — On the 

 signification of the word "cyclone," by M. H. Faye. It was 

 remarked by M. Faye that although all the papers and the 

 author of the preceding note had named the St. Claud storm a 

 cyclone, yet really it was a tornado. The difference between 

 the two phenomena was pointed out, it being noted that the 

 base of a cyclone is considerably larger than that of the St. 

 Claud storm, and has a well-defined region of calm at its centre. 



CONTENTS. ^ 



Principles of Organic Chemistry. By H. E. A. . . 461 



The Theory of Interest. By F. Y. E 462 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Soaringof Birds.— Right Rev. Bishop Reginald 



Courtenay 463 



The Affinities of Heliopora ccerulea. — Alfred B. 



Haddon 463 



Occurrence of a Crocodile on Cocos Islands. — A. L. 



Caldwell 463 



The British Association 463 



Section A (Mathematics and Physics) — Opening 

 Address by J. W. L. Glaisher, Sc.D., F.R.S., 



President of the Section 464 



Section D (Biology) — Opening Address by Prof. A. 

 Milnes Marshall, M.A., M.D., D.Sc, F.R.S., 



President of the Section 468 



Section E (Geography)— Opening Address by Lieut. - 

 Colonel Sir R. Lambert Playfair, K.C.M.G., 

 H.M. Consul-General in Algeria, President of the 



Section 480 



Notes 485 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope.— A. Fowler 487 



Observations of the Companions to Brook's Comet 



(V 1889) 487 



Parallax of ;8 Orionis 487 



Carl Frederik Fearnley 487 



United States Naval Observatory, Washington . . . 488 

 Societies and Academies 488 



