. \pril 9, 1 8S5 j 



NATURE 



539 



antiquarians abroad with data for comparing the stone imple- 

 ments of Japan with those found elsewhere. In a short treatise 

 of eight pages he describes the beliefs universally current in 

 [apan on the subject of these remains. Dividing stone imple- 

 ments into "chipped" and "polished," he mentions four 

 varieties of the former, which, translating the original Japanese 

 names, he calls ; arrow-heads, spear-heads, rice-spoons of the 

 mountain gnomes, and pound-stones — the last being really hoe- 

 heads. The three first are known all over Japan, but become 

 more and more numerous as one approaches the north. They 

 are supposed to have been used by the Ainos. Of the " polished " 

 stone implements there are six principal varieties, vulgarly 

 known as thunder-bolts, thunder-clubs, stone daggers, and 

 dagger-heads, magatama and kitdatama, or curve and tube- 

 shaped jewels. The thunder-bolts, so called, are evidently axe- 

 heads ; they are found everywhere, but chiefly in the north. The 

 "thunder-clubs " are beautifully ornamented, while their shape 

 and size — occasionally they are found as much as five feet long and 

 five inches in diameter — suggest the idea that they served as in- 

 signia of authority rather than as weapons of war. The prehistoric 

 pottery, is Kamloka pottery, from the name of the locality 

 in Northern Japan where it was first discovered. Like the stone 

 implements, it occurs with greater frequency the farther north 

 we go. The general conclusion is thus suggested that the 

 gines of Japan were gradually pushed northward by invaders 

 from the south, but where the distinction is to 'be drawn between 

 the races known as Tsuchigamo. Yezzo, and Aino is a question 

 for future determination. No metal implements have ever been 

 found with this pottery, whereas it is constantly associated with 

 all the stone 'implements enumerated above. In the ancient 

 tombs, which exist everywhere throughout Japan except in Yezzo, 

 there are unearthed several varieties of stone implements, and 

 with them occur metal implements, together with a species of 

 pottery known as Giegi ware, after a priest of that name who 

 came to Japan from Corea in the eighth century, and who is sup- 

 posed to have introduced the potter's wheel. The name is 

 doubtless improperly applied to the ware found in the ancient 

 . for in court relics now preserved and dating back to the 

 eighth century there is ware incomparably superior to this so- 

 called Giogi ware, which should therefore probably be referred 

 to a period much more remote. The stone implements found in 

 these tombs .are for the most part of an ornamental character, 

 though some may have served for agricultural purposes. The 

 former include the magatama, or "curved jewels " which were 

 used as pendants. Some of them are of nephrite Jand chryso- 

 prase, minerals never yet found in Japan, so that these orna- 

 ments must have been brought over from the Asiatic continent. 

 Mr. Kanda thinks that the ancestors of the present Japanese, 

 when they arrived in Japan, brought with them from their old 

 home metal implements which, not being sufficient for all, were 

 appropriated by the privileged few, the majority of the people 

 going back to stone implements. This curious theory would 

 explain the circumstance that many of the thunder-clubs already 

 mentioned are so beautifully ornamented as to indicate, almost 

 with certainty, the use of metal chisels ; but archaeologist^ will 

 probably prefer leaving this circumstance unexplained to adopting 

 so violent an explanation. 



We have received the Proceedings of the Windsor and Eton 

 Scientific Society for 1884, with the Society's diary and the 

 presidential addresses since its formation in 1SS1. One naturally 

 looks in the Proceedings of this and similar societies to the local 

 work — the papers with some of the locus in quo in them — rather 

 than to the more general papers read and lectures delivered. 

 \\ e find more than one instructive communication on the subject 

 of the old Roman town of Silchester, near Reading ; a paper on 

 the trees of Windsor Forest, by Dr. Gee ; whilst amongst the 

 papers read during the four years, but not printed, we notice one 



on some bronze implements found in the Thames near Windsor, 

 on carnivorous plants found in the same neighbourhood, and on 

 recent explorations of a tumulus at Taplow. The Society, which 

 does all its interesting work on a subscription of five shillings 

 from each member, is affiliated with the Albert Institute of 

 Windsor, and was formed in consequence of the success of an 

 exhibition of microscopes and other scientific objects which 

 formed one of the fortnightly entertainments provided by this 

 institute. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Rhesus Monkey (Macacus rhesus i ) from 

 India, presented by Mr. F. J. Edmonds ; a Greater Sulphur- 

 crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) from Australia, deposited; 

 two Great Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus. £ 9 ), eight Silky 

 Bower-birds (Ptilonorhynchus violaccus) from New South Wales ; 

 two Red Kangaroos (Macropus rufus S 9 ) from Australia ; two 

 Bennett's Wallaby (Halmaturus bennetti i 9) from Tasmania; 



a Roan Kangaroo (Macropus erubescens), two Wombats 



(Phaseolonns ) from South Australia, received in exchange ; 



two Sumatran Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sumatrensis <$ 9 ) ; a 

 Rufons-tailed Pheasant (Enplocamus erythrophthahnus 9 ) from 

 Malacca ; a Bar-tailed Pheasant (Phasianus reeuisi 9 ) from 

 North China ; two Peacock Pheasants (Polyplectron chinquis) 

 from British Burmah ; a Silver Pheasant (Enplocamus nycthe- 

 merus 9 ) from China, a Cocoi Heron (Ardea cocoi) from America, 

 purchased ; a Bonnet Monkey (Macacus sinicus), a Black Lemur 

 [Lemur macaco), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Ancient Occultations of Aldebarax. — In Nature, 

 vol. xxxi. p. 1S2, reference was made to an occultation of Alde- 

 baran which Bullialdus found recorded in a Greek manuscript, 

 and which it had been supposed was observed at Athens on 

 March 11, a.d. 509. The extract from the manuscript is given 

 at p. 172 of the well-known work of Bullialdus, " Astronomia 

 Philolaica." The observation is perhaps mentioned in somewhat 

 undecided terms, inasmuch as it is rather implied that after twi- 

 light had ended the moon seemed to have occulted the star ; 

 nevertheless we have its position described as close to the moon 

 at the time of observation ; and further : " Stella quippe apposita 

 erat parti, per quam bisecatur limbttsLunEe illuminatus." If we 

 remember rightly, Street, amongst others, has pointed out that 

 the occultation itself could not have been seen at Athens, but 

 must have been observed at some more eastern station. The 

 following are results of a recent computation in which the moon's 

 place has been determined on the same elements which closely 

 represent the occultations observed in China B.C. 69, February 

 14, and a.d. 361, March 20, referring to the planets Mars and 

 pectively, as well as other phenomena recorded 

 previous to the fourth century. 



A.D. 509, March II, at 2h. 30m. Paris mean time. 



Mo 'ii - right ascension 

 ,, declination ... 

 Hourly motion in K.A. 

 Decl. 



. ... 4« " ^3 

 . ... +12 55 46 

 . ... 3° 15 



. ... +7 12 



The position of Aldebaran was in R. A. 4S° 10' 16", Decl. 

 + 12° 29' 29". The sidereal time at mean noon at Athens was 

 23I1. 22m. us. Hence, calculating for Athens, we find the star 

 disappeared at 3I1. 7m., and re-appeared at 4I1. 37m. local mean 

 time ; the sunset at 6b. 6m., so that the occultation occurred in 

 broad daylight, and " post accensas lucernas " there would be a 

 considerable distance between the moon and the star, as seen at 

 Athens. 



By way of testing the moon's place here employed, we may 

 examine the circumstances of another occultation of Aldebaran, 

 which Gaubil extracted from the Chinese historical works, and 

 thus describes : — " In the ninth year (period Yung-ming), third 

 moon, day ping-chin, the moon eclipsed Aldebaran;" this 

 occurs in tiie records of the " Dynastie des Tsi du sud, la cour 

 a Nanking." Gaubil gives the date March 29, a.d. 491 Pro- 

 ceeding as before we have for 



