September 12, 1901]] 



NA TURE 



491 



been employed by one or two British anthropologists, is re- 

 cognised as of more value than the basial height. Those who 

 are interested in this subject should also consult the recent note- 

 worthy investigations by Alice Lee and Karl Pearson on the 

 determination of capacity of the human skull from external 

 measurements (Phil. Traits. Roy. Soc. series A, vol. cxcvi. 

 pp. 225-264, " Data for the Problem of Evolution in Man ; 

 vi. A First Study of the Correlation of the Human Skull "). 



An appreciative article on the life and work of Prof. T. G. 

 Bonney, F. R. S., appears in the September number of the 

 Geo/og-hal Magazine, being the first of what is apparently to be a 

 series of biographies of eminent living geologists. The article is 

 accompanied by a portrait of Prof Bonney, reproduced as a 

 full-page plate. 



The first part of a work on European butterflies — "Die 

 Schmetterlinge Europas" — by Dr. A. Spuler, forming the third 

 edition of E. Hoffmann's treatise, has been received. It is 

 intended to complete the work in thirty-eight parts, which 

 together will contain descriptive text and nearly a hundred 

 plates having about 2700 coloured pictures of butterflies upon 

 them. The book will be noticed when all the parts have been 

 received. Messrs. Heyn6 Brothers are the English publishers. 



The Annual Report of Mr. J. C. Smock, the State Geologist 

 of New Jersey, contains important articles on the Portland 

 Cement Industry and on the Iron and Copper Mines by Dr. 

 H. B. Kiimmel, and on Artesian Wells by Mr. Lewis Woolman. 

 One boring in Atlantic City has been carried to a depth of 

 2285 feet, and is still being drilled ; so far without success. 

 Mr. W. S. Myers contributes a short article on Chlorine in the 

 Natural Waters of the State, and draws attention to its import- 

 ance in the examination of waters suspected of contamination 

 by sewage. 



There is an interesting sketch of the vestiges of the ancient 

 settlement of the Northmen in the Isle of Mart, by Anton 

 Weis, in Globus (Band Ixxx. No. 7, p. 113), but the author 

 makes a remarkable slip when he states that "this little island 

 is only four to five miles long and two miles broad." 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Jaguar (Felis onca, 9 ) from South America, 

 presented by Mr. F. W. Barrow ; a Vulpine Phalanger 

 (Trichosurits vulpccula] from Australia, presented by Mr. 

 A. N. Owen ; an Egyptian Jerboa (Dipiis aegypliits) from Egypt, 

 presented by Miss A. Moore ; a Tawny Owl {Syrnium alitco), 

 British, presented by Mr. T. E. Gunn ; a Green Turtle (Cheloiie 

 mydas) from the Tropical Seas, presented by Captain Stevenson ; 

 a Madagascar Tree '&03. [Coralltis madagascariensis), a Mada- 

 gascar Boa (Boa madagascariensis), eight Sharp-headed Snakes 

 (Lioheterodon madagascariensis) from Madagascar, a Chameleon 

 (Chamaehon vulgaris) from North Africa, deposited. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Opposition of Eros in 1903. — The planet Eros has now so 

 nearly approached the sun that further observations of its light 

 have become impossible ; but as the amount of material accu- 

 mulated since the discovery of its variability in brightness is not 

 sufficient for determining satisfactorily the laws governing it, full 

 advantage of all the future opportunities of observing the body 

 should be taken. 



Since three times the tropical period is about seven years, 

 the favourable conditions of 1S93 and 1900 will not be repeated 

 until 1907. The coming opposition in 1903 will be similar to 

 that of 1S96, and although not specially favourable, may possibly 

 give opportunities for useful measurements. With this end in 

 view, I'rof. Pickering has issued an ephemeris showing the com- 

 puted path of the planet during the years 1901, 1902 and 1903, 



NO. 1663, VOL. 64] 



the accidental errors of which have been eliminated as far as 

 possible. The magnitudes given are not corrected for phase, 

 and are based on the assumption that the magnitude at unit 

 distance =11-39. From these tables it appears that the next 

 most favourable time of observation will be during the spring of 

 1903, and preparations are being made for an extensive series 

 of photometric measures at Arequipa during that period. 

 (Harvard College Obscn-atory Circular, No. 61). 



Radial Velocity of 1830 Groombrid<;e — An interesting 

 investigation is reported by Prof. Campbell, bearing on the 

 spectroscopic determination of the velocity in the line of sight 

 of 1830 Groombridge, the star which, until lately, had the 

 largest known proper motion (7" '05 per year). Although the 

 various determinations of the parallax of this star differ some- 

 what in value, they all agree in placing the star at a great 

 distance, Newcomb's adopted parallax being o"'i4. Assuming 

 this as the true value, the component of the star's velocity 

 perpendicular to the line of sight will be 240 kilometres (150 

 miles) per second. The component of its velocity in the line 

 of sight has been determined from four photographs of its 

 spectrum taken with the Mills spectrograph ; the results from 

 all are substantially in agreement ; the best values are : — 



Date. Velocily. 



Kilometres. Miles. 



1 90 1 March 18 ... -93 ... -58 



April I ... - 97 ... - 60 



The mean value of the radial velocity is taken as - 95 + 5 

 kilometres per second (equivalent to 59 miles per second 

 approach). The spectrum is approximately of the solar type, 

 inclining rather to the characteristics of Procyon or o Persei. 

 The best photograph was obtained with an exposure of two 

 hours (Lick Observatory Bulletin, No. 4). 



Nova Persei. — MM. Flammarion and Antoniadi give some 

 further particulars in the Astronomische Nachrichten (Bd. 156, 

 No. 3736) respecting the peculiar appearance of the Nova. The 

 photographs of the star region were obtained with an Hermagis 

 photographic objective of 16 cm. aperture and 70 cm. focal 

 length. 



Three proofs on paper have been examined, both enlarge- 

 ments and direct prints. That from the plate obtained on 

 August 19, with an exposure of 30 minutes, shows that the 

 image of the new star is very different in appearance to the 

 images of neighbouring stars, being surrounded by a strong 

 penumbra with a sharp edge, the mean diameter of which is 

 about 2' of arc. Another from a negative which was exposed 

 for a much longer period, 3h. 20m., shows the image of the 

 star encroaching on the first penumbra, but beyond this there 

 is shown a much larger aureole, some 6' of arc in diameter, and 

 the appearance is said to resemble the umbra and penumbra of 

 a sunspot. 



Variable Radial Velocity of S Orionis. — The variable 

 velocity of this star was discovered by M. Deslandres from 

 observations made with a spectroscope attached to the great 

 Meudon refractor. The star is not quite suited for this type of 

 investigation, as the lines are broad, but three observations 

 secured during 1900 confirm M. Deslandres' results. 



The velocities reduced from these were : — 



1900 August 12 ... -1-3 kilometres per sec. 

 „ 21 ... -f5i ,, ,, 



Sept. 17 ... -69 „ ,, 



(Lick Observatory Bulletin, No. 4.) 



IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE. 



T^HE autumn meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute was 

 held on September 3 and 4, in conjunction with the Inter- 

 national Engineering Congress, at the University of Glasgow, 

 and was very largely attended. After speeches of welcome, the 

 president, Mr. W. Whitwell, delivered a short introductory 

 address, in which he dwelt upon the advantages to be expected 

 from the fact that the Iron and Steel Institute met for the first 

 time in its history in conjunction with eight other societies, 

 forming one great International Engineering Congress. In the 

 overwhelming mass of matter published by these societies there 

 was, he considered, a certain amount of overlapping that the Con- 

 gress might tend to obviate in the future. Some of the papers, 



