June 13, 1901] 



A'A TURE 



167 



Thompson adds some important matter to the previous edition, 

 and brings the history of the practice of modern cremation up 

 to the present time. The case for cremation or some method 

 of disposing of the dead other than burial is given much sup- 

 port by the evidence described in this book. The practical 

 details given in an Appendix will be of service to people seeking 

 information upon the subject. 



Messrs. Dulau and Co. have sent us a copy of their 

 various catalogues of zoological and pak-eontological books and 

 pamphlets issued between 1S96 and 1901. These, which are 

 arranged in subjects, have been bound together into one volume, 

 which will be found of considerable use to the working naturalist 

 as a guide to much of the literature of any subject on which he 

 may be engaged. 



A NEW edition, revised and enlarged, of Prof. W. C. Unwin's 

 "Elements of Machine Design" (Part I) has just been published 

 by Messrs. Longmans, Green and Co. The plan and general 

 arrangement of the book remain the same as the original, 

 published many years ago, but about a hundred pages have 

 been added and numerous alterations have been made. 



A NEW edition of "Telephone Lines and their Properties," 

 by Prof. VV. J. Hopkins, has been published by Messrs. Longmans, 

 Green and Co. Among the additions are an account of the 

 latest developments in the design of long lines, a chapter on 

 " composite " working and wireless telephony, an abstract of 

 Dr. Pupin's paper on telephony over cables and long-distance 

 air lines, and a paper on inductive disturbances in telephone 

 circuits. 



Recent numbers of American geographical journals contain 

 much information about Alaska. In the May issue of the 

 National Geographic Magazine Mr. Henry Gannett publishes 

 an article on the general geography of Alaska. The second 

 number of Mazania is devoted almost entirely to Alaska ; it 

 includes an account of the Harriman Alaska Expedition and a 

 reproduction and explanation of an Indian map from the 

 Chilkaht to the Yukon. Mazaina also contains a paper on the 

 flora of Mount Rainier, by Prof. C. V. Piper. 



The value of " The Statesman's Year Book "(Macmillan and 

 Co., Ltd.) can only be rightly appreciated by those who keep the 

 annual at hand for ready reference. The edition for 1901 has 

 now appeared, and Dr. Scott Keltie and his colleague, Mr. 

 Renwick, are again to be congratulated upon its publication. 

 The work is %n epitome of political geography, containing the 

 essential particulars concerning the constitution, communica- 

 tions and commerce of every country in the world. The changes 

 of the past year have necessitated the revision of several parts 

 of the book. The Transvaal and the Orange Free State are 

 now included in the section on the British Empire, and the 

 Australian Commonwealth is described. The results of the 

 censuses taken during last year and the early part of this are also 

 given. There are five maps, the first giving a comparative view 

 of geographical knowledge and political divisions in iSoo and 

 1900, and the second showing the political partition of Europe 

 in the same years. The other maps represent railways, navi- 

 gable waters and steamship routes in North America, South 

 America and Australia. The volume now extends to 1320 

 pages, and ought not to be much further increased in size or 

 it will lose its present handy character. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Chacma Baboon (Cynocep/ialus forcarius, i ) 

 from South Africa, presented by Mr. Geo. Blay ; a Rhesus 

 Monkey {Macacus rhesus) from India, presented by the Hon. 

 Mrs. Morrison ; a Bonnet Monkey (Macacus sinicus) from 

 India, presented by Colonel B. McCalmont ; a Pin-tailed 

 NO. 1650, YOL. 64] 



Whydah Bird ( Vidua principalis) from West Africa, presented 

 by the Hon. Mrs. Parker ; two Ocellated Sand Skinks {Chal- 

 cides ocellalus). South European, presented by Mr. \V. H. St. 

 Quintin ; two Common Vipers ( Vipcra betus), British, presented 

 respectively by Mr. Gerald Leighton and Mr. John Wright ; a 

 White-collared Mangabey (Ccrcocelms collaris), two Yellow 

 Baboons (Cynocephaliis babonin) from West Africa, a Yellowish 

 Capuchin (Cebus Jlavescens), a Brazilian Tortoise (Testudo 

 labulala) from South America, a Silky Marmoset (Midas 

 chrysoleucos) from Rio Madeira, Brazil ; two Pinche Monkeys 

 (Midas oedipus) from Colombia, a Three-banded Douroucouli 

 (Nyctipilheciis Irivigatus) from Guiana, three Serrated Terra- 

 pins (C/irysemys scripta) from North America, two Black Tor- 

 toises (Testudo nigra) from the Galapagos, a Black Iguana 

 (Metopoceros cornutus) from the West Indies, a Common 

 Chameleon (Chamaeleon vulgaris), a Basilisk Chameleon (Clta- 

 tnaeleon basiliscus, from North Africa, a Blue-tongued Cyclodus 

 (Tiliqua scincoides), thirteen Black and Yellow Cyclodus 

 (Tiliqua nigro-htteus) from Australia, four Green Lizards 

 (Lacerta viridis), three Dark Green Snakes (Zamenis gemon- 

 eiisis), three Tessellated Snakes (Tropidonotus tessellatus), two 

 .Usculapian Snakes (Coluber hngissimus), a Four-lined Snake 

 (Coluber quatuorlincatus), European ; a Chained Snake (Coluber 

 catenifer) from California, deposited ; a Red Deer (Cervus 

 elaphus), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Two New Variable Stars. — Prof. W. Ceraski announces 

 in the Asironoiiiische Nachrichten (Bd. 155, No. 3718) the dis- 

 covery of two new variables at the Moscow Observatory. The 

 measures were obtained from photographs. 



72, 1901 (Lyrs). 

 R.A. Decl. 



h. m. s. . , „ 



19 7 3701 ... +33 10 12-6 ... 1855-0 



19 9 1762 ... 4-33 14 38-1 ... 1900-0 



The brightness varies from the loth to 12th magnitude, in 



a period of from 0-27-o-Sl of a year. At present it is about 



the nth magnitude, and is increasing. 



73, 1901 (Scuti). 

 R.A. Decl. 



h. m. s. , , : 



iS 46 197 ... -12 469 ... 1S55-O 



This variable is of the Algol type ; normal magnitude about 

 9-0. Its period is about 22-9 hours, and its brightness varies 

 from 9-1 to 9-6 in five hours. There appears to be evidence of 

 two principal minima separated by a secondary one. 



Uniform Transmission of Astronomical Telegrams. 

 — Prof. H. Kreutz, of the Central Astronomical Telegraph 

 Bureau at Kiel, has issued a circular in several languages sug- 

 gesting instructions for securing the adoption of a uniform system 

 (or the transmission of astronomical telegrams from the various 

 observatories of Europe to the central bureau for subsequent 

 general circulation. 



The code suggested is very similar to that already in use for 

 the telegrams which have been sent out from Kiel for several 

 years past. A definite order is agreed on for the descriptive 

 items of object, discoverer or observer, time, position, magni- 

 tude, motions and remarks, with a terminal number to control 

 the accuracy of the numerical part of the message. In the 

 circular issued examples of various possible forms of messages 

 are given, both at length and in code, dealing with the discovery 

 of comets or planets, new stars, orbits of comets, ephemerides, 

 k.c., perusal of which will easily make the scheme clear. 



Photography of Corona. — In a reprint from a paper read 

 before the Photographic Society of Philadelphia on March 13, 

 1900, Mr. H. W. Du Bois draws attention to the possibilities of the 

 method, outlined by Prof. Nipher, of developing a positive from 

 a plate which has received great over exposure, in connection 

 with the problem of the daylight observation of the solar corona. 



