November 30, 1905] 



NA TURE 



109 



G. F. Becker and A. L. Day, dirert attention to the fact 

 that in the study of ore deposits occurrences are observ- 

 able in which crystals have exerted a very considerable 

 force. Pyrites, for example, is formed in slate in such 

 a way as to drive apart the lamina; of the rock without 

 any perceptible deformation of the crystals occurring. A 

 description is given of some experiments performed in 

 order to determine the lifting force exerted by crystals of 

 alum growing in a saturated solution whilst subjected to 

 the pressure of a heavy weight. Under the title " An 

 Interesting Pseudosolid, " the same authors contribute an 

 account of some investigations of the behaviour of fresh 

 white of egg beaten into a fine foam with an equal volume 

 of powdered sugar. Cylinders of uniform size were cut 

 out of the mass of foam and subjected to compressive or 

 tensile stress, the changes in the dimensions being care- 

 fully observed. A series of photographs of the entire foam 

 cylinder after successive increments of compression was 

 made, and then, by superposing the plates, accurate traces 

 of the path of each component particle were obtained. 

 The authors consider that the results obtained offer a 

 confirmation of Prof. J. J. Thomson's theory of solids. 



Mr. Wilhelm Engelmann, of Leipzig, has published a 

 fourth, revised edition of Prof. P. Groth's " Physikalische 

 Krystallographie und Einleilung in die krystallographische 

 Kenntnis der wichtigsten Substanzen." The third edition 

 of Prof. Groth's famous book was the subject of an article 

 in our issue for January 30, 1896 (vol. liii. p. 289). Many 

 students of crystallography will welcome the present edition. 



. A second edition of Dr. F. Mollwo Perkin's " Quali- 

 tative Chemical Analysis, Organic and Inorganic," has 

 been published by Messrs. Longmans, Green and Co. The 

 first edition was reviewed in our issue for August 22, 1901 

 (vol. lxiv. p. 397) ; and all that need now be said is that 

 more theory has been introduced, the portions dealing 

 with the analysis of acids and the treatment of the sub- 

 stance to be analysed have been recast, and several addi- 

 tions have been made, those in organic analysis l>< ini; 

 specially intended for university and pharmaceutical 

 students. 



A sixth edition, revised and enlarged, of Prof. R. 

 Wiedersheim's " Vergleichende Anatomie der Wirbeltiere " 

 has been published by Mr. Gustav Fischer, of Jena. An 

 English edition, founded on the third German edition, was 

 reviewed in Nature for September 1, 1898 (vol. lviii. 

 p. 409). It is only necessary to state here that this 

 standard work continues to grow in bulk ; for instance, the 

 bibliographical appendix, which in the English edition re- 

 ferred to runs to some ninety pages, occupies in the new 

 edition nearly 140 pages. 



Mr. Aksel G. S. Josephson, of the John Crerar Library, 

 Chicago, has sent us a copy of a pamphlet in which he 

 puts forward a proposition for the establishment of a 

 bibliographical institute. Mr. Josephson maintains that as 

 there are laboratories for chemical, physical, and hygienic 

 research, there should also be an institute for conducting 

 bibliographical research, where records of literary produc- 

 tions would be made systematically, and to which persons 

 desiring information of a bibliographical character could 

 turn with their inquiries. Such an institute, he remarks, 

 organised as a bureau of scientific information, would be 

 a boon to all investigators. The institute should be estab- 

 lished on an international basis, and its function should be 

 to record, classify, and evaluate printed literature. It 

 should be part of the regular duty of the staff of the 

 institute to index the society publications which are not 

 NO. 1883, VOL- JS] 



included in existing indexes to periodical literature. 

 Bibliographies of special subjects should be prepared to fill 

 existing gaps. To establish such an institute on a reason- 

 ably permanent basis would, Mr. Josephson estimates, re- 

 quire an endowment of at least 200,000!. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Astronomical Occurrences in December: — 

 Dec. 2. 5h. Saturn in conjunction with Moon (Saturn 1 21' 



S.). 

 ,, 3. ion. 49m. Minimum of Algol ($ Persei). 

 ,, 6. 7h. 38m. Minimum of Algol (j8 Persei). 

 „ 8. 5h. 35m. to 6h. 43m. Moon occults /t Celi 



(mag. 4-4). 

 ,, 9. 4I1. 49m. to 5I1. 43m. Moon occults f Tauri 



(nug. 4-3). 

 ,, 9. 5h. 48m. to 7h. 21m. Transit of Jupiter's Sat. III. 



(Ganymede). 

 ,, 10. 4I1. 58m. to 5b.. 56m. Moon occults 7 Tauri 



(mag. 3-9). " 

 ,, 10. I4h. 52m. to 1 5h. 53m. Moon occults o Tauri 



(mag. i-i). 

 ,, 10. Saturn. Major axis outer ring =3S"'34. Minor 



axis =7"'3i. 

 ,, 10-12. Epoch of December meteors (Geminids, Radiant 



ioS° + 33°). 

 ,, 15. Venus. Illuminated portion of disc =0-970. Of 



Mars =0-900. 

 „ 16. 9h. 5m. to ioh. 41m. Transit of Jupiter's Sat. III. 



(Ganymede). 

 ,, 19. I9h. 53m. 10 2lh. 2m. Moon occults 7 Virginis 



(mag. 3-0). 

 ,, 22. oh. Sun enters Virgo. Winter commences. 

 „ 23. I2h. 26m. to 14I1. 6111. Transit of Jupiter's Sat. III. 



(Ganymede). 

 ,, 25. i6h. Mars and Saturn in conjunction (Mars 



0° 30' N). 

 ,, 26. 7h. Uranus in conjunction with the Sun. 

 ,, 26. 9h. 21m. Minimum of Algol {B Persei). 

 ,, 29. 6h. 10m. Minimum of Algol (/3 Persei). 

 ,, 30. 2oh. Neptune in opposition to the Sun. 



Comet 1905!). — The observation of comet 1905b at Bam- 

 berg on November 18 was made by Prof. Hartwig, who, 

 in addition to determining the position given in these 

 columns last week, recorded that the magnitude of the 

 comet was 75, that the object was round with a diameter 

 of 10', and that the central nucleus had a magnitude 

 of no. 



An observation made by Prof. Aitken at the Lick Observ- 

 atory on November 18 gave the comet's position, at 

 Sh. 17m. 3 is. (Mount Hamilton M.T.), as 



R.A. (app.) = oh. 33m. 54-4S., dec. = +77° 17' 26". 



The appearance and the rapid apparent movement of this 

 object seem to point to its comparative proximity to the 

 earth (Astronomisclie Nachricliten, No. 4055). 



The following elements and ephemeris, which have been 

 computed by Herr M. Ebell from the observations of 

 November 18, iq, and 20, are given in Circular No. 80 

 of the Kiel Centralstelle : — 



Elements. 

 T = 1905 October 27-4926 (Berlin M.T.). 



<» =135 387) 



a =223 45-4 [-1905-0 



; : =138 54-6 j 



log q =0'02626 

 Ephemeris 12ft. (Berlin M.T.) 



190E 



Dec. 2 

 6 



og A 



23 30 49 ... +1 11 S ... 97150 ■■- 



23 30 49 ... -4 46'6 ... 9-8163 ... 

 10 ... 23 31 28 ... -8 36-1 ... 99002 ... 

 Brightness .u time of discovery = 10. 



An observation made at Bamberg on November 21 

 corrections of —32s. in R.A. and -t-4'1 in declinati 

 the above ephemeris. 



