148 



NATURE 



[ June 12 1 < 



In connection with this class of observation it is in- 

 teresting to remark that the mean error of the moon's 

 tabular place deduced from the meridian observations of 

 1883 has been brought down to + o'03s. in right ascension 

 and + o"'42 in longitude. This result has arisen because 

 in this year Pro f . Newcomb's corrections to Hansen's 

 tables have been applied in the Nautical Almanac, so 

 that the comparison has reference to Hansen's theory 

 without his empirical term of long period (intended to 

 represent the direct action of Venus) and with an empiri- 

 cal alteration in the epoch of the inequality resulting 

 from the indirect action of Venus. The mean error of 

 Hansen's tables uncorrected was + o'82s. in R.A. for the 

 year 1SS2. 



The most important reference to the spectroscopic work 

 is the following : — 



" For the determination of motions of stars in the line 

 of sight, 412 measures have been made of the displace- 

 ment of the F line in the spectra of 48 stars, 91 

 measures of the b lines in 19 stars, and two measures 

 of the D lines in one star, besides measures of the dis- 

 placements of the b and F lines in the spectra of the east 

 and west limbs of Jupiter, and in the spectra of Venus 

 and Mars, and comparisons. with lines in the moon or 

 sky spectrum made in the course of every night's observa- 

 tions of star-motions, or on the following morning, as a 

 check on the adjustment of the spectroscope. Some pre- 

 liminary measures have also been made of the F line in 

 the spectrum of the Orion Nebula. The progressive 

 change in the motion of Sirius, from recession to ap- 

 proach, alluded to in the last two Reports, is fully con- 

 firmed by numerous observations since last autumn, and 

 a change of the same character is indicated in the case of 

 Procyon. A discussion of the measures of all the stars 

 observed here, on which I am now engaged, shows that 

 the results of the four periods — 1875 June to 1877 May, 

 1877 June to 1880 December, 1S81 January to 1882 

 March 10, 1882 March 11 to 18S4 March 31, in each of 

 which the instrumental conditions were different — accord 

 generally within the limits of the probable errors, and 

 that there is no systematic change from recession to ap- 

 proach, so that the presumption against error arising 

 from defective instrumental adjustment appears to be 

 strong." 



Passing on to another branch of the work at present 

 undertaken by the Observatory, that connected with photo- 

 graphs of the sun with the view to determine the amount of 

 spotted area, &c, we learn that two important changes 

 have been made. First, the heliograph, which up to the 

 present time has only given us pictures 4 inches in 

 diameter, has been altered, as was suggested two years 

 ago by the Solar Physics Committee, so as to take pictures 

 of 8 inches. This necessitated a new micrometer which 

 has already been constructed. Again, the photographs 

 taken in India under the auspices of the Solar Physics 

 Committee are now sent to Greenwich to be reduced with 

 those of the previous series, and the result is a consider- 

 able increase in the number of days for which photographs 

 are available. Thus in the year 1883 the 215 days of 

 Greenwich are supplemented by 125 days of India, making 

 a total of 340 out of 365 days. In 1882 we had Greenwich, 

 201, India 142, making up 343. 



There is nothing new to remark with regard to mag- 

 netical work. We may state however that the magnetic 

 elements for the past year were determined to be as 

 follows : — 



Approximate mean westerly \ ™, , 

 declination j 5 • 



Mean horizontal force 



Mean dip 



3'Q26 (in English units). 

 I'Slo (in metric units). 



67 31 10 (by 9-inch needles). 

 67 3 1 36 (by 6-inch needles). 

 6 7 3 1 59 (by 3-inch needles). 



The doings of the Deal time-ball and Westminster 

 clock are thus referred to : — 



" As regards the Deal time-ball, after various delays the 

 arrangement, referred to in the last Report, for sending a 

 current to Deal and receiving a return-signal through the 

 chronopher of the Post Office telegraphs, was brought 

 into operation on February 29, and has worked well since. 

 The change has necessitated some slight alteration in 

 our arrangements in order that we may be able to receive 

 the Westminster signal through the same wire which is 

 now used for the Deal current and its return signal. 

 There have been 16 cases of failure in the dropping of the 

 Deal time-ball owing to interruption of the telegraphic 

 connections, 12 under the old system, and 4 since the 

 new arrangement with the Post Office. On 19 days the 

 current was weak and required the assistance of the 

 attendant to release the trigger, and on 9 days the violence 

 of the wind made it imprudent to raise the ball. 



" The errors of the Westminster clock have been under 

 is. on 53 per cent, of the days of observation, between is. 

 and 2s. on 30 per cent., between 2s. and 3s. on 13 per cent., 

 between 3s. and 4s. on 3 per cent., and between 4s. and 5s. 

 on 1 per cent." 



THE NORTH CAPE WHALE 

 "THE North Cape or Biscay whale belongs to the 

 -*• group of true Balancr, or smooth whales, i.e. those 

 whales which have no fin on the back or furrows along 

 the throat, as is the case with the so-called fin-whale 

 group. It has most in common with the South Sea whale 

 (Balccua aus trails). Its systematic name is Balaaa fris- 

 cayensis (Eschricht). 



The habitat of the North Cape whale is limited to the 

 north temperate zone of the Atlantic Ocean, whereas the 

 Greenland whale is found most frequently in the closer 

 vicinity of the Pole. Along the coasts of Europe the 

 North Cape whale used to be found from the Mediter- 

 ranean to the sea north of Norway, as far as the Beeren 

 Island. Its true home, was, however, according to earlier 

 writers who have dealt with the whale-fisheries in the 

 preceding centuries, between Iceland and Norway, its 

 original name — the North Cape whale — being derived 

 from its frequent appearance around that promontory 

 some centuries ago. 



It visited the coasts of Central and South Europe 

 regularly during the winter months, its favourite haunt 

 appearing to be the Bay of Biscay. There it began to be 

 pursued very early — perhaps as far back as the eleventh 

 or twelfth century. In the fourteenth century the whale- 

 fishery was an established industry here. It was also, 

 according to the Icelandic Saga, " Kongespeilet," written 

 in the twelfth century, already at that period largely 

 caught by the Icelanders. It was called by the latter 

 slatbag (smooth-back), and it was in all probability the 

 catching of the North Cape whale of which the bard 

 Othar of Haalogaland, i.e. Nordland in Norway, gave 

 such an interesting account before King Alfred the Great 

 of England. He stated that its haunts were then the 

 shores of Northern Norway. 



The principal expeditions for catching the whale were, 

 however, despatched from 'the Bay of Biscay, but as it 

 became more and more scarce in this part, it was followed 

 as far as Iceland, where the Biscay fishermen found 

 formidable rivals in the old Icelanders. It was these 

 expeditions to Iceland which brought the Greenland 

 whale under the notice of the southerners, and from the 

 beginning of the seventeenth century the Greenland 

 whale fishery around Spitzbergen became the leading 

 industry. 



In the middle of the seventeenth century the Americans 

 began to catch whales. The Biscay whale was then very 

 plentiful around the east coast of North America, and 

 from the ports of " New England " numerous expeditions 



