Oct. 20, 1 881] 



NA TURE 



591 



are to be congratulated on the continaed successful results of 

 their labours. 



Dr. Obst, the director of the Ethnographical Museum at 

 Leipzig, after attending the Archaeological Congress at Tiflis, 

 intended to make an exploring tour in the Caucasus, Armenia, 

 and Asia Minor, and then to return to Saxony ztV; Constantinople 

 and Athens. 



A STRANGE phenomenon was recently observed at Emerson, 

 near Lake Winnipeg. A dark cloud formed of myriads of 

 winged black ants passed over the place from east to west. 

 When it dc-^cended the ground over a large area was covered an 

 inch deep with the insects. 



Mauna Loa (Hawaii) is again active, and the lava threatens 

 the port of Hilo, situated on the east side of the island. 



In a letter which we have received from Mr. G. H. Kinaban 

 he disavows the suggestion imputed to him (Nature, vol. xxiv. 

 p. 471) that Laurentian rocks occur in Co. Tyrone. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey {Macaeus cynomolgus 9 ), 

 a Bonnet Mon]<ey [Macacus radialus9) from India, presented 

 by Mr. G. E. Jarvis ; a Vervet Monkey (Cercopil/uciis lalandii i ) 

 from South Africa, presented by Mrs. Bras^ey; two Leopards 

 [Felis fardun) from Ceylon, presented by Lieut. -Col. J. S. 

 Armitage, F.Z.S. ; a Mesopotamian Fallow Deer (Cervus meso- 

 fotamkus 9), two Beatrix Antelopes (Oryx beairix 9 9), two 

 Arabian G&zt\\QS,{Gazellaarabica i 9 ) from Muscat, presented by 

 the Lord Lilford, F.Z.S. ; a Naked-footed Owlet (Al/tene nocttia), 

 European, presented by Mr. R. J. Marlton ; a Common Kestrel 

 ( Tinnuncuhis alaudariiis), a Common Hare (Lepus europatis), 

 European, presented by Mr. W. K. Stanley; a Paradise Whydah 

 Bird (Vidua paradisea) from West Africa, presented by Mr. 

 Bowyer Bower; two Bonnet Monkeys (Macaais radiaius) from 

 India, a Bell's Cinixys {Cinixys belliand) from East Africa, 

 deposited ; an Osprey (Paiidion haliae/iis), European, pur- 

 chased ; a Hardwicke's Hemigale {Haiiigaka hardwtikii) from 

 Borneo, received on approval. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 The Satellite of Neptune. — We subjoin such a table as 

 was suggested by Prof. Newcomb fur indicating with little 

 trouble the a] proximate position of the satellite of Neptune, at 

 any time about the approaching opposition. The argument a 

 has the same significance as in Newcomb's Tables : — 



Angle of Position. Distance. 



187-55 I Nov. 27 

 Dec 



17 ... 10-39 



From which figures 11 may be interpolated for any hour required. 

 When a is found in the second column of the table, the angle of 

 position is to be taken from the second column. 



Comet 1881 / (Denning, October 3).— The comet disco- 

 vered by Mr. W. F. Denning of Bristol during the night of the 

 3rd inst. has been observed at Marstilies by M. Coggia, and at 

 Lord Crawford's Observatory at Dunecht. Elements calculated 

 by Dr. Copeland and Mr. Lohse upon Dunecht ob.ervations on 

 October 9, 10, and 12, are as follows : — 

 Perihelion passage iSSi, September 12-0943, Greenwich M.T. 



Longitude cf perihelion 



Ascending node 



Inclination 



Log. perihelion distance 



Motion — direct. 



22 6 9 

 72 47 45 

 7 45 12 

 9-859822 



M. Eq. 

 iSSro 



Hence it is found that this comet, like that discovered by Mr. 

 Barnard on September 19, is receding both from the sim and 

 the earth. As remarked in Lord Crawford's Circular, No. 33, 

 the elements bear some resemblance to those of the fourth comet 

 of 1819, detected by Blanp.ain at Marseilles, which was certainly 

 moving in an elliptical orbit of very limited dimensions. This 

 circumstance alone attaches a particular interest to Mr. Denning's 

 comet, and makes it of importance that it should be accurately 

 observed for position as long as practicable. 



Ceraski's Variable — U Cephei. — The following Green- 

 wich times of minima depend upon Mr. Knott's observation on 

 the 2nd inst. with the periud 2<'-4928o : — 



h. m. , h. m. I h. m. 



Nov. II 



BIOLOGICAL NOTES 



The Hypophysis in Ascidians. — In a second paper to the 

 Belgian Academy on this subject (Bull. No. 6) M. Julin de- 

 scribes the quite special arrangement of the "hypophysary 

 gland ' in Fhalliisia mamillata. Besides the principal excre- 

 tory duct existing in all Ascidians, and here considerably reduced, 

 there are a large number of orifices by which the glandular tubes 

 pour their product of secretion into the peribranchial cavity, of 

 which the cloaca forms the median part, which receives all 

 the products and re-idues of the organism, to be cast out. 

 Hence the products of the hypophysis in this species are probably 

 al>o excrementitial, and the gland is physiologically the kidney 

 of the animal. If it be so with P. mamillata it is likely to be the 

 same with the other Tunicata ; and though, in most, the hypo- 

 physis opens into the mouth, one cannot infer that the product 

 is to be utilised in the alimentary canal. From the morpho- 

 logical point of view it is noteworthy that in glands properly so- 

 called, arising from an epidermic or epithelial invagination, the 

 product of secretion is generally eliminated by a single orifice, 

 and that the only exceptions occur in the category of urimry 

 apparatus (Cestodes, Trematodes, &c.). 



The Corals of Singapore. — We learn from a paper 

 (Proc. of Berne Nat. History Society) by Prof. Studer, on the 

 Corals of Singapore, that there are no less than 122 species 

 known from this locality. Of these fifty-one species are special to 

 the locality, whil-t the others inhabit the seas of New Guinea, 

 of the New Britannic Archipelago, of the Solomon Islands, and 

 reach as far as Fiji, some few extending as far as Tahiti. At 

 the same time the Singapore corals yield very few species in 

 common with the Red Sea, the Seychelles, and Mauritius, and 

 these are Fungidje, but no Madreporacese. Thus it may be 

 established that the coral f.auna of the Indian Ocean must be 

 divided into two distinct regions— a western and an eastern, the 

 latter extending far to the east into the Pacific. These two 



