446 



NATURE 



[Sept. 6, 1883 



work ; in reality it is far more conducive to fertility than that of 

 Germany," Dr. Licbscher maintains that in his book the very 

 contrary of what Mr. Koto implies will be found, indicating 

 especially the conclusion of what he says on the natural founda- 

 tion of agriculture in Japan (p. 58). There it is stated that, 

 " owing to the climate rather than to the rich soil, an amazingly 

 large number of people can live in Japan on the produce of one 

 field." Similar misunderstanding, Dr. Liebscher writes, has 

 been shown by Mr. Ko:6 in his remarks on the geology and the 

 soil of Japan, in his opinion concerning the Japanese land-tax 

 system, in what he says on the religion of his countrymen, and 

 in denying the existence of polygamy among them. 



A sharp shock of earthquake was felt at 8 o'clock on Sep- 

 tember 2 at Frascati, on the Alban Hills, twelve miles from 

 Rome. The movement was undulatory and lasted several 

 seconds, but without causing any damage. The instruments in 

 the observatory of the Roman College noted at the same hour a 

 sensible undulatory movement, in the direction of from north- 

 east to south-west. The earthquake was felt simultaneously at 

 Albano, Ariccia, Genzano, Rocca di Papa, Monte Porzio, and 

 other towns on the Alban Hills. At Rocca di Papa a slight 

 shock also occurred a few days ago. New York papers report 

 an earthquake at Pachuca, in Mexico, by which twenty persons 

 lost their lives. A shock was felt at Fjosanger in Bergens Stift, 

 Norway, on August 17, at 10 p.m. 



A correspondent points out that an account of Prof. 

 Edlund's theoiy of the connection between thunderstorms and 

 auroras will be found in Pctermann's Mittheilungen fjr 1S79, 

 p. 76. 



It is stated that an important oyster bed has been discovered 

 in the Medway. It is estimated to contain over a quarter of a 

 million of young oysters. The Medway was formerly a famous 

 oyster fishery, and it is hoped from this discovery that it is about 

 to become so again. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Rhesus Monkey (Macacus erythram 9 ) from 

 India, prtsented by Miss Garwood ; a Golden Eagle (Aquila 

 chrysietos) from Scotland, presented by Mr. Bertram B, Hagen ; 

 two Long-eared Owls (Asiootits), British, presented by Mr. Percy 

 F. Fordham ; a Mocking Bird (Mimus polyglottus) from North 

 America, presented by Mr. A. Townsend ; two Marsh Harriers 

 (Circus aruginosus), European, presented by Lieut.-Col. E. 

 Delrue Radcliffe ; two Barbary Apes (Macacus inmis) from 

 North Africa, deposited ; a Silvery Gibbon (Hylobales leuciscus & ) 

 from Java, an Indian Muntjac (Cervulus muntjac) from India, 

 four Passerine Doves (Chamapelia passcrinci) from America, a 

 Malabar Parrakeet (PaLarnis columboides) from Southern India, 

 a Boatbill (Cancroma coc/ikaria), an Anaconda (Eunectcs 

 murimts) from South America, a Sharp-nosed Crocodile (Croco- 

 dilus cataphraclits) from Central America, purchased ; two 

 Ostriches (S/rulhio camelus i 9 ) from Africa, received on 

 approval. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



Temtel's Comet, 1873 II. — M. Schulhof of Paris has pub- 

 lished elements and an ephemeris of this comet for the approaching 

 return to perihelion. The following is the predicted orbit : — 



Epoch, 1S83 October 20'o M. T. at Berlin 



Mean anomaly 



Longitude of perihelion ... 



,, a-cending node. 



Inclination 



Angle of eccentricity ... . 

 Mean daily sidereal motion . 

 Log. semi-axis major 



From these elements we find the time of perihelion passage 

 November 20-17155 G.M.T., and the period of revolution 

 190277 days. M. Schulhof's ephemeris so far published extends 

 from August 28 to November S ; during which period the comet 

 is slowly receding from the earth. We extract a few positions : — 



At Berlin Midnight 

 R.A. N.P.D Log. distance from 



h. m. s. , Earth. Sun. 



Sept. 21 ... 15 19 50 ... 101 51-0 ... 02732 ... 0-1739 



23 ... 15 25 3 ... 102 248 



25 ... 15 30 22 ... 102 583 ... 02739 ... 01687 



27 ... IS 35 47 ... 103 3:8 



29 ... 15 41 17 ... 104 46 ... 02744 ■•• °'i637 



Oct. 1 ... 15 46 53 ... 104 372 



3 ... 15 52 35 ... 105 9-4 ... 0-2750 ... 0-1589 



5 ... 15 58 22 ... 105 412 



Unless the comet is observed at the present return, observations, 

 will hardly be possible before the spring of 1894. 



The Great Comet of 1882. — Dr. B. A. Gould, director of 

 the Observatory at Cordova, informs us that this comet was last 

 seenthere with the naked eye on March 7, when Mr. Thome found 

 it already very faint in the telescope, and no nuclear condensa- 

 tion percep ible. His last observation was on June I, but it was 

 not pos ible to use the filar micrometer, and he had to depe id 

 upon the circles of the equatorial. Had it not been less than 

 an hour high at nightfall, he thinks he could have observed it 

 for a month longer. The Cordova refractor is of ten inches 

 aperture. On March 7 the distance of the comet from the > a^th 

 was 3-07. 



The Minor Planet, No. 234. — Prof. Krueger communi- 

 cates in a circular two observations of the small planet last dis- 

 covered, telegraphed by Mr. O. C. Wendell, from which it 

 appears that the daily motion in N.P.D. is as much as 21', or, 

 reducing the places for August 12 and 24 to longitude and lati- 

 tude, we find a change of latitude of 3 13' in the interval, the 

 descending node being passed on August 23. This seems to 

 point to a considerable inclination of the orbit. The Harvard 

 positions are as follow : — 



G.M.T. R.A. N.P.D. 



1S83, August 21-7470 ... 318 57 43 ... io's 24 9 

 247274 ... 31s 36 ... 106 20 34 



Of the large number of these bodies now known, Pallas, the 

 second in order of discovery, still retain; the greatest orbital 

 inclination, 34 44' at pre ent. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



In the interests of anthropology, Dr. A. B. Meyer, curator of 

 the Dresden Ethnological Museum, has just issued some practical 

 sugge-tions addressed to the officers of the German Imperial 

 Navy visiting the Indo-Pacific waters. The chief object of this 

 " Denkschrift " is the completion of the Dresden ethnographic 

 collection, whose desiderata are mentioned in detail, and special 

 instructions are given as regards the Chinee seaboard, the South 

 Sea Islands, the north-west coast of America, Madagascar, the 

 Ea-tern Archipelago, and in general such places as lie on the 

 ordinary route of the German Navy. Here is still to be gathered 

 a rich harvest of materials illustrating the usages, traditi ins, 

 religions, and social culture, especially of the Polynesian, Papuan, 

 Indo-Chinese, Malay, and North American races. Many objects 

 may thus be brought together calculated to throw light on uch 

 important historic and religious movements as the spread of 

 Buddhism from India throughout East Asia, and the influence 

 of Hinduism in past times on the local cultures in Further India 

 and Malaysia. Among-t the miscellaneous wants particular 

 mention is made of fishing gear, boat models, and musical in tru- 

 ments from Formosa ; blowpipes, krisses, shields, and brass 

 armour from the Sulu Archipelago and Palawan ; nets, harpoons, 

 magic wands from Corea and Yesso : wood carvings and i lols 

 from New Guinea and New Britain ; clubs, spears, si one 

 hatchets, tattoo designs, figures of men and animals in wood or 

 stone from Melanesia ; objects of fetish worship from Micro- 

 nesia ; jade ornaments from Polynesia ; carved wooden ma ks 

 of men and animals, clay or stone vessels, tobacco pipes and 

 nephrite objects from the north-west coast of America ; talis- 

 mans, idols, house utensils, and weapons from Madagascar ; 

 wicker-work, burnt clay figures of evil spirits, woven materials 



