6 1 8 



NA TURE 



[April 30, 1903 



Nova Scotia many of the schools undertake these observ- 

 ations as a form of nature-study. The schedules which have 

 been distributed include the observation of farming oper- 

 ations and a few meteorological phenomena, in addition to 

 the ordinary data connected with the opening of flowers. 

 The annual report contains a series of observations made 

 in Nova Scotia, from which average dates or phenochrons 

 are calculated. 



Attention is directed by Mr. O. E. Dunlap to a remark- 

 able diversion in the waters of Niagara which happened on 

 March 22 (Scientific Imerican, April 4). On the previous 

 afternoon ice came down the upper river from Lake Erie 

 in such quantities that immense masses lodged on the rocks 

 above Goat Island and diverted the water from the American 

 to the Canadian channel. Thus the river-bed above the 

 .American fall between the mainland and Goat Island was 

 left practically dry, and numbers of people were able to 

 walk from Green Island over reefs of rock to the head of 

 Goat Island. Here and there gravelly deposits and 1< ose 

 blocks of limestone were 10 be seen, amid great patche: 1 

 ice, and barely enough water fell over the limestone ledge 

 to curtain the rocky cliffs below. It is recorded that a 

 similar incident occurred 1 a March 20, 1848. 



The fossil fruits to which Bowerbank gave the 1 a ne 

 Xipadites have in this Country been obtained from the 

 London. Clay of Sheppey and the Bracklesham Beds of 

 Sussex. The various forms from the Eocene strata I 

 Belgium have been grouped under one specific name, Xipa- 

 dites Burtini, given by Brongniart in 1828 (as Cocos Burtini), 

 and of which the .V. giganteus oi Bowerbank and the iV. 

 Bowerbankii of Ettingshausen are regarded as synonyms. 

 These conclusions are slated in an essay by Mr. A. ( '. 

 Seward and Mr. E. A. N. Arber (Mem. Music Roy. d'Hist. 

 Nat. de Belgique, tome ii., 1903). The authors remark on 

 the structural resemblance between the fossil fruits and 

 those of the recent palm, Nipa, which flourishes in the East 

 Indies from the Lowei Ganges and Ceylon, across the Malay 

 Peninsula and Archipelago, even to Australia. 



Ox Tuestlax evenings during May the following lectures 

 will be given at the Royal Victoria Hall : — Dr. Mill, on 

 "Weather and Weather Prophets"; Dr. Bertram Abra- 

 hams, on " Egypt "; Mr. Cunningham, on " Fish.- "; 

 and Canon J. W. Horsley, on " Insects." 



Prof. N. W. Lord's " Notes on Metallurgical Analysis " 

 have reai hed a second edition. In its new for. 11 the b( ok is 

 not only suitable for students in technical schools, but also 

 as a book of reference for use in metallurgical laboratories. 

 Methods for the determination of all elements likely to be 

 encountered in ordinary analyses have been included in the 

 new edition, and the subjects of gas analysis and the testing 

 of fuel have been more fullj described than in the original 

 issue of the volume. The book is issued from the Metal- 

 lurgical Laboratory of the Ohio State University. 



Tur twenty-eighth issue — that for 1903 — of the Aide- 

 Mimoire de Photographic, edited lo M. C. Fabre and pub- 

 lished under the auspices 1 I the Toulouse Photographic 

 S01 mi by M. Gauthier-Villars, of Paris, is full of valuable 

 information for photographers. In addition t,i the lists ol 

 the principal photographic societies in Europe and America, 

 the photographic magazines, and books on photograph} 

 published during 1902, it contains a detailed review, 01 

 seven chapters, ol photographic developments during last 

 year. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens 

 during the past week include a Chacma Baboon (Papio 



NO. 1748, VOL. 67] 



porcarius), four Blai k-backed Jackals (Canis mesomelas), 

 two Caracals (Fclis caracal), a Feline Genet (Genetta 

 felina), a Dusty Ichneumon (Herpestes pulverulentus), four 

 Suricates (Suricata tetradactyla), three Levaillant's Cynictis 

 (Cynictis penicillata), two Bristly Ground Squirrels (Xerus 

 capensis), a Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata), five 

 Cape Hyraces (Hyrax capensis), seven Spotted Eagle 

 Owls (Bubo maculosa), a Bearded Falcon (Falco 

 biarmicus), five Jackal Buzzards (Buteo jacal), a 

 Chanting Hawk (Melicrax musicus), five South African 

 Kestrels (Tinnunculus rupicolus), a Large African Kestrel 

 (Tinnunculus rupicoloides), four Leopard Tortoises (Testudo 

 panlalis), a 1 uberculated Tortoise (Hoitwpus femoralis) 

 from South Africa, three Rufous Weaver-birds (Hyphant- 

 ornis textor), a Grenadier Weaver-bird (Euplectes oryx), 

 three Triangular-spotted Pigeons (Columba guinea), seven 

 Egyptian Geese (Chenalopex aegyptiacus) front West Africa, 

 presented by Colonel A. T. Sloggett, C.M.G. ; a Sykes's 

 Monkey (Cercopithecus albigularis) from West Africa, a 

 Smooth-headed Capuchin (Cebus monachus) from South- 

 east Brazil, a Ring-tailed Coati (Nasua rufa) from South 

 America, seven Long-nosed Vipers I Vipera ammodytes), two 

 Painted Frogs (Discoglossus pictus), two Edible Frogs 

 (liana esculenta), ■< Southern Mud Frog (Pelobates cultn 

 European; two Pennant's Parrakeets (Platycercus pennanti), 

 twelve Golden Tree Frogs (Hyla aurea) from Australia, 

 two Seven-banded Snakes (Tropidonotus septemvittatus), a 

 Hog-nosed Snake (Hctcrodon platyrhinos) from North 

 America, deposited. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Astronomical Occurrences in May : — 

 May 1-6. Epoch of Aquarid meteoric shower {Radiant 337'- 



2 °>- 



10. 2h. Mercury at greatest elongation (21 31' E ). 



,, Ceres f S. of /» Lconis (mag. 4'I). 



1 1. Juno S' N. of 6 Ophiuchi (m*g. 3'3). 



12. 8h. 7m. to oh. 5m. Moon occults x Ophiuchi (mag 



5 '°' • • o , 



15. Venus. Illuminated portion of disc = 073S, of Mars 



= 926. 



11 '3 n - 5"'. to '6h. 27m. Transit of Jupiter's Satellite 



III. (Ganymede). 



19. Neptune in conjunction with r) Geminorum, Neptune 



10' S. 



20. 14I1. Venus in conjunction with 6 Geminorum, 



Venus 10' N. 



21. Juno (mag. S.7) in opposition to the Sun. 



Nova Geminorum before its Discovery. — On receiving 

 the Kiel announcement of Prof. Turner's discovery of Nova 

 Geminorum, Prof. Pickering instituted a search for this 

 object on the early photographs of this region taken for 

 the Henry Draper memorial series. 



A negative obtained on March id. 13b. 3m. (G.M.T.), 

 whilst showing stars of 119 magnitude, shows no trace 1 I 

 the Nova, neither could the latter be found on any of the 

 sixty-seven plates of this region taken between Man Ii 3, 

 1890, and February 28, 1903, although most of them show 

 stars of the twelfth magnitude or fainter. A plate obtained 

 on March 2d. 13b. 19m. shows stars of magnitude 90, bu1 

 shows no object in the Nova's position. 



On a photograph taken March 6d. 14b. 28m. then- is 

 the image of an object occupying the position ol the Nova, 

 the photographic magnitude of which is 308-11.20, and 

 negatives taken on several succeeding nights show thai the 

 magnitude gradually decreased until on March 25 it was 



I :d\ 8 c.18. 



The photograph obtained on the last-named date was 

 taken with an objective prism, and shows the spectrum of 

 the Nova as a conspicuous object amongst the spectra of 

 the surrounding stars. This spectrum shows six bright 



