JUNE 11, 1914] 
NATURE 387 
re) 
must have been deposited near a large area of land. 
In this connection it is noticeable that beds of coral- 
iferous limestone are repeatedly called ‘‘coral-reefs,”’ 
without a tittle of evidence that they ever formed true 
coral-reefs. : 
Dr. Schuchert correlates the Lower Devonian fauna 
with that of the Konieprus Limestone (F*) of Bohemia. 
It is rich in corals, echinoderms, bryozoa, and brachio- 
pods, with a fair number of mollusca and trilobites. 
Most of the species are different from those of the 
European equivalent, and even the form hitherto 
known as Pentamerus galeatus is now distinguished 
as coeymanensis. The orthids, Dalmanella and Rhipi- 
domella, are specially abundant in the Helderberg 
limestones. 
In the Middle Devonian, corals and bryozoa are 
rare, and no echinoderms are found, so that the fauna 
has a different aspect from that of the European 
series, consisting chiefly of brachiopods and pelecypod 
mollusca, with a few gasteropoda, cephalopoda, and 
trilobites. It is noteworthy that Bactrites and Agonia- 
tites make their appearance. 
The Upper Devonian fauna is more interesting, not 
only because it includes species of Tornoceras and 
Bactrites, Buchiola and Styliolina, but also because 
some of the species are European, such as Spirifer 
disjunctus, Atrypa reticularis, Buchiola retrostriata, 
and Schizophoria striatula. 
In conclusion, it may be mentioned that the figures 
of fossils are well executed, and that the whole work 
is creditably produced, though owing to the use of 
thick paper the volumes are very bulky and heavy. 
Such tomes may be liked in America, but in this 
country we prefer more handy and less weighty pro- 
ductions. A. J. JukEs-BROWNE. 
tae ROYAL VCbSaeArORY , 
GREENWICH. 
N Saturday last, June 6, the Astronomer Royal 
presented his report at the annual visitation of 
the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory. The 
report refers to the year commencing May 11, 1913, 
and exhibits the state of the observatory on May to 
of the present year. 
Reference is first made to the new building, which 
has been erected in the magnetic enclosure in the 
park for the purpose of housing a set of modern in- 
struments for recording the variations of the magnetic 
elements. The significance of the building consists 
in the fact that it is composed of a thickly walled 
outer room, containing an inner room well insulated by 
a considerable air-space, the constancy of the tempera- 
ture of the latter being controlled by electric heaters 
regulated by a thermostat. After reference to the 
principal moveable instruments at the observatory or 
on loan from or to the observatory, we are informed 
that a silver-gilt inkstand presented to Sir G. B. Airy 
in 1852 by the River Dee Company has been presented 
to the observatory by his son, Mr. Osmund Airy. A 
portrait of Sir William Huggins has also been pre- 
sented by Lady Huggins, and Sir William Christie has 
given one of himself. 
Turning to the astronomical observations we find 
that with the transit circle the following observations 
have been made :— 
Transits =o ie Ssh. aoe 
Determinations of collimation and level 
error 65 ea 
Circle observations Jen oe 
Determinations of nadir point and re- 
flection observations of stars (in- 
cluded in the number of circle 
observations)... oe 
NO.w2328, VOL. 93] 
16,423 
311 and 632 
16,455 
607 and 417 
With the altazimuth the following observations have 
been made :— 
Meridian transits ... ah 1862 
Meridian zenith distances 1031 
Extra meridian observations ... poe 72 
Determinations of collimation and level 
error - was yes Kies ; 252 and 184 
Determinations of nadir point Me 152 
The travelling-wire micrometer has been used 
throughout the year for the determination of right- 
ascensions, and it is intended to replace the present 
eye end of the transit circle also by a travelling-wire 
micrometer which is now under construction. 
The excess of the number of observations of R.A. in 
relation to those of N.P.D. is due to the inclusion in 
the working list of a number of faint and bright stars 
for comparison with the transit circle, and the deter- 
mination of the magnitude equations of the observers 
with the latter instrument. The N.P.D.’s having 
been observed with the new printing micrometer, an 
interesting table is given of the comparison with 
Newcomb’s catalogue for different periods. 
The mean error in right ascension of the moon’s 
tabular vlace for 1913 is given as —o-81s. from 
meridian observations and —o-87s. from extra-meridian 
observations of the moon’s limb, and —o-S1s. from 
meridian observations of the crater Mésting A. The 
transit circle gives 0-832s. Attention may be directed 
to the reat increase in recent years of the mean 
tabular error of the moon’s longitude. From 1883, 
when Newcomb’s empirical correction was introduced 
into the Nautical Almanac, the values (all reduced to 
the same equinox) are : 
“l “ 
1883 =OROB I EOOG ees 2:18 
1884 —0O-16| Ig00 - ... nits — 2-69 
1885 —0-09 | IgoI — 2-77 
1886 —o-11 | 1902 — 3-15 
1887 +0:2T | 1903 — 3-08 
1888 +0:76 | 1904 — 3-16: 
1889 —0-38 | 1905 — 5-29 
1890 — 0-27 | 1906 —591 
I8gI O72 1gO7 — 5:96 
1892 +0°79 | 1908 SOT 
1893 —0-06 | 1909 —6-41 
1894 —I-20'| 1970 —7°85 
1895 —3-47 | 1911 — 8:34 
1896 — 1-68 1912 —9:79 
LSO7 ess: a TN LOS 118: 
Te {0fS) cee so — 3:03 | 
After a short reference to the observations made 
with the Cookson floating zenith telescope and the 
equatorial observations, mention is next made of the 
28-in. refractor which has been employed on all known 
double stars showing appreciable relative motion, and 
a few other stars for special reasons. The measures 
have consisted of 105 pairs with separation less than 
0-5"; 110 pairs with separation between 0-5" and 1-0"; 
123 pairs with separation between 1-0” and 2:0"; 
125 pairs with separation greater than 2-0". 
While the early publication of the mean results is 
communicated each year to the Royal Astronomical 
Society, the measures from 1893 to 1915 will be formed 
into one catalogue, each separate observation being 
given. This catalogue will contain 3000 double stars 
and notes on the more interesting stars. 
The work with the Thompson equatorial has been 
confined to parallax and photometric determinations, 
the 26-in. refractor being used throughout. For the 
parallax observations an exposure of the same plate at 
two different epochs, approximately six months apart, 
is required. During the year the first exposure has 
been given to 292 plates, and a second exposure to 
219 plates. The work of the measurement of these 
