574 



NA TURE 



[February i6, 1905 



of the chemical elements is of primary importance in the 

 proper study of celestial spectra, and Dr. Lohse's record 

 will be very useful in that connection. It seems to us, 

 however, that his work would have been greatly enhanced 

 m value if he had confined his attention to the same region 

 of spectrum for each metal, and had included the portion 

 from A 400 to \ 486 (F), say, especially as that is the 

 region of stellar spectra most ordinarily investigated. 



Indexes to the literature of gallium (1874-1903) and 

 germanium (1886-1903). prepared bv Dr. P. E. Browning, 

 have been issued as parts of vol. xlvi. of the Smithsonian 

 Collections. 



The general occurrence of radium in association with 

 uranium has formed an important argument in connection 

 with current views relative to the formation of radium. 

 In a recent note M. Danne stales that certain plumbiferous 

 earths in the neighbourhood of Issv-1'Evlque contain 

 radium, but are completely free from uranium. Certain 

 facts seem, however, to indicate that the radium has made 

 Its appearance in the pyromorphite at a comparatively 

 recent date through the medium of radio-active water from 

 springs in the neighbourhood. 



The International Committee on Atomic Weights has 

 issued its annual report and a table of numbers for use 

 during 1905. On the basis of new determinations, changes 

 are recommended in the atomic weights of indium, iodine 

 rubidium, and samarium. As the result of several in- 

 dependent investigations on the atomic weight of iodine 

 there can now be no reasonable doubt that the value 126-85 

 given by Stas is too low, and 12697 is adopted in the new 

 table. The atomic weight of nitrogen would also appear 

 to be much closer to the round number than is represented 

 by the value 14.04 at present in use, and further in- 

 vestigations of this element are needed. 



An interesting paper on the production of calcium 

 cyanamide and its employment in agriculture as fertiliser 

 was recently read by Prof. Frank before the " Klub der 

 Landwirte " in Berlin. As manufactured at present, 250 

 kilograms of atmospheric nitrogen can be obtained per 

 year in the form of calcium cvanamide for each electric 

 horse-power. The efficiency of the substance as fertiliser 

 has been established by experiments at a large number of 

 agricultural stations, and the combined nitrogen is stated 

 to be as efTeetive as an equal quantitv in the form of 

 ammonium sulphate or Chili saltpetre. 



The much discussed question as to the nature of the 

 hydrosulphites has been subjected to further experimental 

 investigation by Messrs. Baumann, Thesmar, and Frossard, 

 and an account of these experiments is given in the Hemie 

 ginirale dcs Matieres colorantes, vol. viii., p. 353. The 

 view of Schiitzenberger that hvdrosulphurou's acid is to be 

 represented by the formula H,SO, receives strong con- 

 firmation. As is pointed out, the crystalline sodium salt 

 Na,S,0,.2H,0 obtained by Bernthsen mav be written 

 XaHSO,.NaHSO,.H,0, and the behaviour of the mother 

 liquors, from which this salt separates, corresponds with 

 this view. In fact, two formaldehvde compounds corre- 

 sponding to NaHS0,.CH,0.2H,0and\aHS0,.CH,0.H,0 

 have been separated and analysed. 



A new booklet has been added by Messrs. Dawbarn and 

 Ward, Ltd., to their " Country House " series of practical 

 handbooks. It is by Mr. D. Grant Mclver, and is entitled 

 ' Pruning, Training, and Trimming Trees and Shrubs." 

 NO. 1842, VOL. 71] 



Mr. John Murray has published an attractive English 

 edition of Prof. W. H. Pickering's work on "The Moon," 

 the .American edition of which was reviewed in Nature of 

 May 5, 1904. The work contains a summary of the existing 

 knowledge of our satellite, and the statement of Prof. Picker- 

 ing's observations and arguments in favour of lunar activi- 

 ties, illustrated with a complete photographic atlas of the 

 moon. The price is two guineas net. 



The second volume of " Papers of the British School at 

 Rome " has been published by Messrs. Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd. The volume is by Mr. T. Ashby, jun., and is con- 

 cerned with sixteenth-century drawings of Roman buildings 

 attributed to Andreas Coner. The drawings are preserved in 

 Sir John Soane's Museum at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. 

 The contents of the sketch-book in which the original draw- 

 ings are preserved include ground plans, plans and elevations 

 of tombs, elevations, architectural details, Doric entablatures, 

 Ionic and Corinthian entablatures, plain mouldings (cornices 

 and plinths), Doric capitals, and plain and ornate bases. 

 The reproductions of these sixteenth-century drawings which 

 are now available will be of great service for the purposes 

 of study and criticism. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Ephemeris for Brooks's Comet, 1904 I. — On a photo- 

 graph obtained at Greenwich in January the image of 

 Brooks's comet (1904 I.) was quite strong, and indicated that 

 the object was, probably, not fainter than the eleventh mag- 

 nitude. The following is an ephemeris for this object as 

 given in No. 354 of the Observatory. 



Ephemeris 12/7. M.T. Greeinvich. 

 1905 R..A. Dec. 



Feb. 17 



.. 23 

 Mar. I 



9 55 56 

 9 34 55 

 9 "5 34 

 8 58 27 



+ 64 37 

 + 64 25 

 + 63 55 

 -1-63 II 



This ephemeris required corrections of —5s. and — o'.S on 

 December 7, and shows that the comet is travelling in a 

 westerly direction through the constellation Ursa Major. On 

 March 7 it will be very near to, but S.W. of, t Ursce Majoris. 



Observations of Comets. — .A number of photographic 

 and visual observations of Encke's comet were made by M. 

 Ouenisset at Nanterre during December. The photographs 

 obtained show that the comet gradually became brighter 

 during the period covered bv the observations, and that the 

 coma was extensive and fan-shaped, its extension being in a 

 W.S.W. direction, i.e. turned away from the sun. On the 

 photographs this coma was about 4' in diameter and con- 

 tained a nucleus which was not at the centre. Visual 

 observations made on December 7 showed the fan-shaped 

 coma to be 5' or 6' in diameter with the nucleus situated 

 near to its E.N.E. edge and having a position angle of about 

 70°, reckoned from the centre of the coma. On this date 

 the comet was at the limit of naked-eye visibility, its esti- 

 mated stellar magnitude being about 6.5. 



Borrelly's comet (1904 e) was also observed, photo- 

 graphically and visually, on January i and 2 by M. 

 Ouenisset. and was seen ;is a faint nebulosity of i'.5 to 2' 

 diameter with ill-defined boundaries. .\ very faint nucleus 

 of magnitude 11.5 occupied the centre of the conia, and the 

 photograph obtained on January 2 showed a faint tail ex- 

 tending in an E.S.E. direction (Bulletin dc la Societe 

 astronomique de France, February). 



.\dditional Periodical Comets due this Year. — In addi- 

 tion to those periodical comets previously mentioned by 

 Mr. W. T. Lynn as being due at perihelion this year, Mr. 

 Denning, writing to the Observatory, mentions Tempel's 

 1807 comet, which should pass through its perihelion point 

 in .\pril. This object has suffered considerable perturbations 

 from Jupiter, which have lengthened its period from 5. 982 to 

 ('•539 years, and have changed its perihelion distance from 



