1d 
NALTORE 
[May 4, 1899 
Western Asia, presented by Mr. B. T. Ffinch; two Double- 
banded Sand-Grouse (Ptevocles bzcznctus) from Senegal, a 
Lesser Pin:tailed Sand-Grouse (Pterocles exustus) from North 
Africa, presented by Mr. W. H. St. Quintin; a King Parra- 
keet (Aprosmictus cyanopygtus) from Australia, presented by 
Mr. C. D. Chambers ; a Delalande’s Gecko (Zarentola dela- 
landiz) from West Africa, presented by Miss Shenton ; a Rhesus 
Monkey (MJacacus rhesus, 8) from India, a Great Kangaroo 
(Macropus géganteus, 6) from Australia, a Salvadori’s Cassowary 
(Casuartius salvadoriz), a Blue-necked Cassowary (Caszarius 
zniensus) from New Guinea, a Beccari’s Cassowary (Caswar its 
beccariz) from South-eastern New Guinea, five Oblong Chelo- 
dines (Chelodina oblonga) from Australia, a Derbian Sterno- 
there (Sternothaerus derbianus) from West Africa, a Blackish 
Sternothere (Sternothaerus nigricans) from Madagascar, two 
Black-necked Swans (Cygnus nigricoldis) from Antarctic 
America, deposited. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
ComMET 1899 a (Swirr).—This comet having now passed con- 
siderably to the west of the sun, it is possible that it may be 
observed in the eastern sky before sunrise. The following 
ephemeris is given by Herr H. Kreutz in Ast. Mach. (Bd. 149, 
No. 3556) :— 
Ephemeris for 12h, Berlin Mean Time. 
1899. R.A. Decl. Br. 
ne mess 5 , 
May 4 --.. 23 57 45 +25 17:9 1°74 
Bry aa 53 54 es 26 17°3 1°69 
Oo... 49 53 oo 27 19°53 
Chek Be 45 41 af 28 240 1°67 
So: 41 17 sr 29 31°5 
ORS 36 40 Me 30 42°0 1°66 
10 31 45 ooo Sri 
II 26 28 +33 12°7 1°66 
During the meal it moves in a north-westerly dinection from 
between ¥ Pegasi and a Andromeda, and is now rapidly de- 
creasing in brightness as it recedes from the sun. 
TEMPEL’S Comer (1873 II.). — The following ephemeris 
is given by M. L. Schulhof in Ast. Mach. (Bd. 149, No. 
3554) :— 
2 Ephemeris ies 12k. Parts Mean Time. 
1899. R.A. Decl. Br. 
isons 3 3 
Mayi4 “-. 1848/5704. — 4 42) 8 0°460 
5 59 39°5 -:- 4 37 57 
6 52 20°5 . 4 33 5S! 
7 54 32 4 29 51 
8 . 55 44°5 4 25 58 O°521 
9 -- 57 255 4 22 13 
TO! Ae 18) 50) 1050 4 18 33 
II -19 O 46° Aah ees 
During the week the comet moves slowly north-eastwards 
through the northern portions of Scutum Sobieski, and should 
be looked for in the early morning. 
SECOND WASHINGTON STAR CATALOGUE.—Appendix I. 
to the Washington Observations of 1892 has recently been 
issued, and is devoted to the publication of the catalogue of 
standard stars which has been compiled from the work done 
with the transit circle of the U.S. Naval Observatory during 
the last thirty years. The instrument was made by Pistor and 
Martins, of Berlin, and was used almost continually from 
January 1866 to June 1891, being successively under the charge 
of Profs. Newcomb, Ilall, Harkness, and Eastman. Prof. 
|. KR. Eastman, who had the direction of it from 1874 to 1891, 
has had almost entire charge of the catalogue, and it is there- 
fore issued in his name. Of the 72,914 observations embodied 
in the book, 17,334 were made by him personally and 39,867 
under his immediate supervision. 
The first half of the volume is occupied by descriptions of 
the apparatus and methods of reduction of the observations. 
Next come the tables of annual results; then a catalogue of 
stars employed in the American Ephemeris. The general 
catalogue, with which the book concludes, gives data for 5151 
stars, all for the epoch 1875'0. 
NO. 1540, VOL. 60] 
SpecrRa OF STrars OF Crass III. 4.—Prof. W. C. Dunér, 
of the Upsala Observatory, has been revising his survey of the 
red stars by means of the new Steinheil refractor, erected there 
in 1893. This has a visual objective of 36 cm. aperture, and 
a photographic objective of 33 cm. aperture. All the spectro- 
scopic observations have been made with ocular spectroscopes 
of the Zollner type, with dispersions varying from 3°°5 to 10° 
from C to G (Astrophysical Fournal, vol. ix. p. 119, 1899). 
In most cases, the previous results were confirmed, but in 
several of the brighter stars of this class he has found additional 
features. In all the brighter stars the band 5 (A 576) is seen 
to be double, while near to the less refrangible edge of band 6 
(A 5636) a bright band is seen. Additional confirmation of the 
reality of these details, is provided by the photograph of the 
spectrum of 132 Schjellerup in the Astrophysical Fournal, 
vol. viii., which clearly shows a bright line at A 5595. Varia- 
tions in the relative intensities of the bands are common, 
notably in the case of bands 6 (A 5636) and 4 (A 586). In 
152 Schj., the brightest of this class of stars, band 6 and 9 are 
very bright, while band 4 is quite faint. In 280 Schj. band 4 
is the strongest in the spectrum, while band 6 is scarcely visible. 
Prof. Dunér thinks that, by a closer attention to these variations, 
a classification of these red stars would be rendered possible. 
LEAD COMPOUNDS IN POTTERY GLAZES.' 
It has been known for some months that Prof. T. E. Thorpe, 
F.R.S., and Prof. T. Oliver, had been commissioned 
by the Home Secretary to investigate the use of lead compounds 
in the production of pottery glazes and colours, and to suggest 
means which might be adopted to counteract the evils admitted, 
on all hands, to follow from their use. It had been found con- 
siderably easier by those who had drawn public attention to 
these evils even to exaggerate them, grave as they were, than to 
devise remedies which had any chance of practical adoption at 
the hands of the trade. The scientific eminence of Profs. 
Thorpe and Oliver, and their practical acquaintance with the 
details of manyananufacturing processes, warranted the opinion 
that the choice of the Home Office was a wise one. The 
appearance of their report marks a very welcome stage in 
the treatment of this troublesome and intricate question. 
There exists in this country a pottery industry of considerable 
dimensions, producing pottery wares of infinite variety, and 
supplying, not merely the demands of our own country, but 
possessing, probably, a larger export trade than that of any 
similar industry in the world. This industry has been built 
up on the practical experience of generations of workers in the 
same business. The methods in use may appear, in many cases, 
to be the reverse of scientific; but, at all events, they have sufficed 
for the production of pottery of excellent make and finish, at a 
price which enables our potters still to hold their own, in spite 
of the efforts of their foreign rivals to copy their methods, their 
shapes, and their designs. It is idle for any one to deny the 
fact that, for pottery such as forms the bulk of our produc- 
tions, glazes containing lead compounds are the simplest and 
the most trustworthy, and best fulfil all the requirements of a 
difficult and complicated manufacture. It is admitted, how- 
ever, that lead compounds, used in the form and proportions 
common in English practice, may, and often do, cause serious 
illness and suffering—amounting in extreme cases to blindness, 
paralysis, and death—to those employed in certain of the 
processes of pottery production. Regulations have been 
framed from time to time by the Home Office, designed to 
minimise these evils. The latest proposals of this kind, which 
came into force only at the end of last year, deal with the 
removal of dust from work-rooms ; the provision of means by 
which dust containing lead compounds shall be kept from the 
face of the worker; the provision of overalls and head 
coverings, as wellas adequate and convenient washing accommo- 
dation for all workers who come in contact with lead compounds ; 
and last, but by no means least, provide for a compulsory monthly 
medical examination of all women and young persons em- 
ployed in certain specified occupations. These regulations, which 
are set out in full on pp. 43-45 of the report, are in startling 
contrast with the official regulations in force in foreign countries. 
While foreign Governments have for the most part either made 
1 Report to Her Majesty's principal Secretary of State for the Home De- 
partment on the employ. ment of Compounds of Lead in the Manufacture of 
Pottery. By Prof. E. Thorpe, LL.D., F.R.S., and Prof. Thomas Oliver, 
M.D., F.R.C.P. 
