July i8, 1901] 



yVA TURE 



Xochiniilco, containing excellent water, but their level is so low 

 that it could only be made available for supplying the city of 

 Mexico by enormous expenditure for pumping machinery. The 

 basin of these lakes is bounded on the south and east by the 

 mountains of the Ajusco and Sierra Nevada, and on the north by 

 the Santa Catarina ; a depression to the north-east connects it 

 with the Vallee de Mexico, of which it forms a part. The lakes 

 are fed by springs draining the underground waters from the 

 volcanic formations of the Sierra Nevada and the Ajusco. The 

 paper, which is an interesting study of the physical geography 

 of the region, gives a preliminary account of attempts to tap 

 these underground waters at a suitable level for gravitational 

 supply to Mexico. The impermeable bed, believed to be ande- 

 sitic, is being sought for below the basalt lavas and detritus by 

 means of borings. 



The technique of basketry as manufactured by the Amerinds 

 is the subject of a very valuable little paper by Dr. Otis T. 

 Mason in the American Antliropologist (n.s. , vol. iii. p. log). 

 Those who have desired to describe baskets and other objects 

 plaited by primitive peoples have long wanted a system upon 

 which to base their studies. This Dr. Mason has supplied, and 

 all who study primitive industries once more have to thank their 

 diligent and systematic .American colleague. 



The JCew Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Appendi.x 

 iii. 1901) contains the usual annual list of new garden plants 

 recorded during last year in botanical and horticultural 

 publications. The list includes, not only plants brought into 

 cultivation for the first time during 1900, but the most note- 

 worthy of those which have been re-introduced after being lost 

 from cultivation. 



A SECOND edition of " Marine Boiler Management and Con- 

 struction," by Mr.C.E. Stromeyer, has been published by Messrs. 

 Longmans, Green and Co. The book is described in the sub-title 

 as " a treatise on boiler troubles and repairs, corrosion, fuels and 

 heat, on the properties of iron and steel, on boiler mechanics, 

 workshop practices and boiler design " ; it was reviewed in these 

 columns when the first edition appeared (vol. xlix. p. 410). About 

 sixty pages of new matter have been added, including a chapter 

 on steam, water and the boiling phenomena. No detailed 

 accounts are given concerning water-tube boilers, because little 

 e.xact information about the various types is available. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a 'ioo\.y "Sl-xn^she.y (Cercoccbiis fiiliginosus) 

 from West Africa, presented by ilr. E. Robinson ; a Diana 

 Monkey [Cercopitkecus diana) from West Africa, presented by 

 Mr. L. Gough ; a Northern Mocking-bird {Mimus polyglottis) 

 from North America, a Common Chameleon (Chamaeteon vul- 

 garis) from North Africa, a Green Lizard {Laccrta viridis), 

 European, presented by Miss Betty Cox ; two Chaplain Crows 

 (Corvus capellanus) from the Persian Gulf, presented by Mr. 

 B. T. Ffinch ; two Olive Weaver-birds [Hyphantorni^ capensis), 

 two Alario Sparrows {Passer alario), eight Sulphury Seed- 

 eaters (Crithagra sulphurala) from South Africa, presented by 

 Mrs. R. Templeman ; a Jackdaw {Corvus vionedula), British, 

 presented by Mr. L. Peevor ; a Green Monkey (Cercopitkecus 

 callitrichus), a Jardine's Parrot {Paeocephalus gulielmi) from 

 West Africa, a Pine Marten (Mustela martes), British ; three 

 King Snakes (Coronella getula), two Mexican Snakes (Coluber 

 melanoleucus), a Chained Snake (Coluber catenifer), two Corn 

 Snakes (Coluber guttatus), two Chicken Snakes (Coluber obso- 

 letus), three Testaceous Snakes (Zamenis flagelliformis), a 

 Long-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasica), an Amphiuma (Am- 

 phiuma means), three Menopomas (Cryptobranchus alleghani- 

 eusis), two Menobranchs (Necturus maculatus) from North 

 America, deposited ; two Barbary Wild Sheep (Ovis tragel- 

 aphus), a Japanese Deer (Ceit'us sika), a Yak (Poephagus 

 punniens), born in the Gardens. 

 NO. 1655, VOL. 64] 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Wave-length of Green Corona Line.— In the Mem. delta 

 Soc. Degli. Spett. Hal. (vol. xxx. pp. 124-128), Sig. Ascarza 

 describes the results of observations made at Plascencia by the 

 party from the Madrid Observatory during the total eclipse of the 

 sun on May 27, 1900. 



The instrumental equipment consisted of a Grubb coelostat 

 with a mirror 20 centimetres diameter, furnishing light for 

 a Steinheil objective of 12 centimetres aperture and I 'So metres 

 focus. This produced on the slit of the spectroscope an image 

 of the sun about 16 millimetres in diameter. 



A Dubosq spectroscope was used, furnished with six prisms 

 and eyepiece micrometer reading to i ; 300th of a millimetre. On 

 account of the absorption of the prisms, only three were used for 

 the final observations. 



For the determination, measures were made on the lines 

 532S'696, 5270, 108 (E), and 5183792 (/v,), and the resulting 

 measures of the corona line reduced by interpolation formute. 

 The spectroscope not being sufficiently powerful to separate 

 the components of E, the mean of the wave-lengths of the 

 two was adopted. 



Preparation was made for both radial and tangential measures, 

 but on account of the diffuse character of the line the tangential 

 method was applied. The results were reduced by two inter- 

 polation formul.e, Gibbs and Hartmann, slightly varying values 

 being obtained. The wave-lengths found on Rowland's scale 

 were 52987 and 5298818 respectively. The paper concludes 

 with a note stating the difference of 4 tenth-metres between this 

 value and that of 5303 obtained by Lockyer and Campbell from 

 photographs taken during the total solar eclipse in India on 

 January 22, 1898. 



Deformation of the Sun's Disc. — In the Mem. della 

 Soc. Degli. Spett. Ital. (vol. xxx. pp. 96-1 lo), Sig. A. Ricco 

 describes a long series of observations, both visual and photo- 

 graphic, of the varying deformations of the disc of the sun by 

 the effect of atmospheric refraction, made at the observatories of 

 Palermo and Catania (Etna). Many of the visual observations 

 were made with a small Ramsden telescope having a terrestrial 

 eyepiece, magnifying five times ; photographs were also taken 

 with a Merz telescope of 0"ii5 metre aperture and I '93 metres 

 focal length, adjusted to the chemical focus, giving an image 

 about 0'0I75 metre diameter. 



The paper is illustrated by drawings and reproductions from 

 many of the photographs, which are similar in many respects 

 to those obtained by Colton at the Lick Observatory and 

 published about 1895. 



The Minor Planet Tercidina. — In the note on p. 265, 

 Prof. Hartmann's observations were misinterpreted. The photo- 

 graphs obtained at the Potsdam Observatory do not confirm the 

 suspected variability suggested by the photograph obtained by 

 Prof. Wolf in November 1899, nor do the later photographs of 

 Prof. Wolf The apparent variation may possibly be due to 

 instrumental irregularities. 



THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF MAY 18, 1901. 



T^HE following account of the total eclipse of the sun. May 

 ■*■ iS, is taken from a letter received from Mr. J. Cresswell, 

 who was formerly a student of astronomical physics at the Royal 

 College of Science, and is now engaged at a mining camp near 

 the centre of Borneo (lat. 0° 45' S., long. 113° E.). 



The eclipse commenced about 12.20 in a cloudy sky, but 

 fortunately about 15 minutes before totality the whole sky 

 cleared and revealed a crescent sun. There were only one or 

 two small clouds near the horizon, and the landscape appeared 

 to have^a peculiar violet tinge. There was no fall in tempera- 

 ture up to this point, the thermometer having remained 

 stationary at 34°75 C. Four minutes afterwards the landscape 

 appeared as if seen through smoked glass, the temperature now 

 being 34°'5. After the lapse of another S minutes the light was 

 like that when a heavy storm is gathering, and shadows had a 

 peculiar transparency ; a number of stars appeared in the heavens 

 distant from the sun. After 2A minutes more had elapsed, second 

 contact occurred and we were in darkness. The accompanying 

 sketch of the corona was made and a photograph was taken 

 with a small camera. The darkness was such that a small 



