April 2, 1885J 



NATURE 



5i5 



of the nomenclature, and a popular history and description of 

 all the known species, brought down to the latest date. It will 

 be published in parts, each containing not less than ten coloured 

 plates. The size will be large quarto. 



Messrs. Asher and Co. announce as just ready "The 

 Chittagong Hill Tribes," results of a journey made in the year 

 1882 by Dr. Emil Riebeck, Ph.D., F.R.G.S., translated by 

 Prof. A. H. Keane. 



The Oyster Fishery in the United 'States employs 53,805 

 persons, and yields 22,195,370 bushels of oysters, worth 

 30,438,852 dollars. In Fiance 32,431 persons are "engaged in 

 the industry, which produces 43,307/., and in Great Britain 

 3,ooo,coo/. The oyster industry is rapidly passing from the 

 hands of the fishermen into those of oyster culturists, and in the 

 United States is carried on in so reckless a manner that the 

 Government are being urged to interfere in the matter. 



We have received a copy of " Ellis's Irish Education Direc" 

 tory." The part of the book relating to " National Edu- 

 cation" has been remodelled so as to make it a complete 

 guide to the National System. The " Irish Educational Guide 

 and Scholastic 'Directory " has now been incorporated with 

 " Ellis's Irish Education Directory." 



At the last meeting of the Seismological Society of Japan (as 

 reported in the japan Weekly Mail) Prof. Koto read a paper on 

 the " Movement of the Earth's Crust," as these have been 

 observed in Japan. It appears that the south and east coasts 

 are gradually rising, while the north and west coasts are subsid- 

 ing. This phenomenon is directly connected with the intensity 

 of seismic activity along the eastern seaboard, almost every 

 earthquake felt in the capital cooming from a region extending 

 from north-east to south-east or nearly south, while hardly any 

 originate in the west. Mr. Sekiya described in detail the great 

 earthquake of October 15 last year. It was attended by unusual 

 barometric variations. The thermometer, which averaged 16 

 C. during the month, rose to 27 s immediately before the shock, 

 while the wind blew with a force of 43 kilometres per hour. 

 The shock occurred at 4' 2i"'54 after midnight, and lasted for 

 5' 20", during which time no less than 200 complete vibrations 

 were recorded. During the first second the motion of the earth 

 measured only 2 "5 mm., but rose to 13 mm. in the third, and 

 reached its maximum intensity of fully 42 mm. in the fourth 

 second. The shock was then travelling with a velocity of 

 200-280 mm. in the second. Over a hundred reports were 

 received by the Meteorological Bureau from various parts of the 

 country, from which it appeared that the area affected by the 

 shock was 24,728 square miles. Eighty-six per cent, of the 

 pendulum clocks in Tokio were stopped, and much damage of 

 the kind usual in these shocks was done. Mr. Sekiya states 

 that this earthquake was the severest since February 22, 1880, 

 to which it was remarkably similar in many ways. Both 

 originated somewhere on the east side of the Bay of Yedo, and 

 both affected the same area. In both instances the origin of the 

 shock was in all probability due to the formation of a subter- 

 ranean assure. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey (Macacus tynomolgus) 

 from India, presented by Miss Pyne Hamilton ; a Blaubok 

 (Cephalophus pygmaus) from South Africa, presented by Mr. A. 

 Best ; a Russ's Weaver-bird (Quelea nasi) from West Africa, 

 presented by Mr. J. Abrahams; a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), 

 a Common Buzzard (B11U0 vulgaris), a Common Kestrel 

 ( Tinnunculus alaudariui), European, presented by Mr. Scott 

 I'.. Wilson; two Ravens {Cotvus corax), British, presented 

 respectively by Mr. J. Bradley, jun., and Mr. Gerard Sloper ; a 

 Common Lizard [Lacerta vivipara), British, presented by Mr. 



Stanley S. Flower ; a Wattled Starling (Dilophtts caruticulatus) 

 from South Africa, purchased ; a Common Otter (Lutra vul- 

 garis), British, received on approval. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 A Star with Large Proper Motion. — Dr. Gould notifies 

 the probable existence of very large proper motion in a star of 

 a little below the eighth magnitude, which is No. 15S4 ol 

 Hour xxiii. in the Cordoba Zone Catalogue : the position for 

 iS75'o is in R.A. 23!!. 5S111. fS5s., Decl. -37° 58' iS'S", con- 

 sequently in the constellation Sculptor. From observations 

 between 1872 and 1SS4 Dr. Gould infers an annual proper 

 motion of +0 '4823s. in right ascension, and - 2 '4479" in declin- 

 ation, or 6-2057" in arc of a great circle in the direction 66° 46' 

 east of south. This direction, he remarks, differs from that of 

 Lacaille 9352 (which is 15° distant) by 34°. The large proper 

 motion of Lacaille's star, one of 7"5m., was also detected by 

 Dr. Gould ; it amounts to 6-9565" ; so that it had moved over 

 141 minutes of arc between the year 1752 and the time of the 

 Cordoba observations about the end of 1S76. 



The annual proper motion of the star, Groombridge 1830, the 

 largest yet remarked in a star north of the equator, is 6-976", as 

 determined by Argelander in 1843. 



Wolf's Comet. — This comet was observed for position with 

 the S-inch refractor at the Observatory of Kiel, on March 12, 

 when its distance from the earth was 2-24, and that from the 

 sun 1 '94, so that the theoretical intensity of light was just one- 

 tenth of the amount on the night of discovery, September 17. 

 As there is a possibility that the comet may yet be observable 

 with larger instruments during the next period of absence 1 i 

 moonlight, Dr. Lamp has continued his ephemeris from Prof. 

 Kruger's second elements, and a few places are subjoined — 



./• Berlin Midnight. 



R.A. Decl. Log. Distance from 



h. m. s. , Earth. Sun. 



April 3 .. 4 19 44 ... +3 7-3 ... 0-4030 ... 0-3144 



5 24 6 ... 3 16-9 



7 ... 28 2S ... 3 26-1 ... o-4liS ... 0-3193 



9 ■•• 32 49 ■•• 3 35'° 



11 ... 37 9 ... 3 43-5 ... 0-4204 ... 0-3242 



13 ... 41 2S .. 3 515 



r 5 •-■ 4 45 47 ■•• +3 59'2 ... o^SS ... 0-3290 



The April Meteors. — The earth will arrive at the descend- 

 ing node of the first comet of 1861, with which the Lyra-meteors 

 of April have been supposed to be connected, on the morning of 

 the 20th inst. In 1861 the comet at this node passed only 

 214,000 miles within the orbit of the earth, and the elements 

 assign for the radiant R.A. i-joi", Decl. + 33'5°. If the 

 present form of the comet's orbit is due to planetary action at 

 some distant epoch, it is quite as likely that the planet Saturn 

 was the disturbing body, as that it should have been the earth. 

 With the elements of 1S61 we find that at a true anomaly of 

 144° 43', the comet's distance from the orbit of Saturn is only 

 o'li, and this point would be reached 2-48 years after perihelion 

 '['lie period of revolution, according to the definitive 

 investigation of Prof. Oppolzer, is 415 years. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 



WEEK, 1885, APRIL 5-1 1 

 (For the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

 Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, is here 

 employed. ) 



At Greenwich on April 5 

 Sun rises, 5I1. 28m. ; souths, 12'n. 2m. 38-23. ; sets, l8h. 38m. ; 

 decl. on meridian, 6° 15' N. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 

 7h. 35m. 

 Moon (at Last Quarter on April 7) rises, 23I1. 49m.'*; souths, 

 4I1. 19m. ; sets, 8h. 48m. ; decl. on meridian, 17' 56' S. 

 Planet Rises Souths Sets Decl. on meridian 



Mercury ... 5 46 



Venus ... 5 23 



Mars ... 5 13 



Jupiter ... 13 41 



Saturn ... 8 11 



'3 » 



" 37 

 11 22 

 20 58 

 16 17 



20 36 ... 15 22 N. 



17 51 ... I 58 X. 



17 31 ... 1 2 N. 



4 15* ... 13 56 N. 



o 23* ... 21 55 N. 



that the rising is that of ihe preceding and the setting that of 

 the following day. 



