May 18, 1899] 
Jackson ; and the Development, Structure, and Affinities of the 
Genus Zyuisetum, by Mr. E. €. Jeffrey. The former paper is 
occupied by illustrations of the law laid down by the author, 
that throughout the life of an individual stages may be found 
in localised parts which are similar to stages found in the young, 
and the equivalents of which are to be sought in the adults of 
ancestral groups. The investigations of Mr. Jeffrey lead him 
to the conclusion that the Equisetales are nearly allied to the 
Lycopodiales, and that they are descended from the Spheno- 
phyllales, with which they agree closely in all important 
particulars except the structure of the stele. 
Mr. Murray has in preparation, and will publish as soon as 
possible, Sir William Crookes’ reply to the many criticisms 
evoked by his address to the British Association last year. 
THE monthly meeting of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society 
was held on Friday, May 12, when ‘‘The Treatment of Pro- 
portion in Elementary Mathematics” was discussed. Dr. 
Morgan, President, occupied the chair. 
THE 143rd meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union will 
‘be held at Dent, on Whit-Monday, May 22, for the investigation 
of the valley of the Dee, the northern slopes of Whernside, 
Gragreth, Holme Fell, and the neighbourhood. 
Messrs. MARION AND Co, have just introduced a new hand 
«camera—the Cut-film Swallow Camera—which has several com- 
mendable points. The camera takes thirty flat films, without 
notches, the size being the }-plate-4} x 3}. Its weight loaded 
with thirty films is only 4 lbs. The lens is a single achromatic 
lens of the fixed focus type and good covering power. 
A NEW section of the second edition of Prof. Ostwald’s 
“* Lehrbuch der allgemeinen Chemie” has been published by 
Mr. Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig. The pages included in 
this Lieferung extend from 605 to 828, dealing with chemical 
equivalents of the second order. Another section on the same 
subject will bring the second part of the second volume to an 
vend. The third part of the second volume, which will conclude 
the work, will be concerned chiefly with special chemical 
dynamics. A supplement will be published dealing with advances 
made while the work has been passing through the press. 
Pror. GATTERMANN, of Heidelberg, has added another to 
the list of silicon acids. The new compound, which he terms 
silicomesoxalic acid, is obtained by leaving the chloride Si,Cl, in 
a platinum dish exposed to the air. Hydrochloric acid is 
-evolved and the octochloride is slowly transformed into a white 
amorphous mass of silicomesoxalic acid to which the formula 
HO.OSi— Si(OH), —SiO.OH is ascribed. It is very unstable, 
and on heating decomposes with a flash. When quite pure and 
-dry, a touch is sufficient to effect this change. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta, ? ) from 
Madagascar, presented by Mrs. Penn Curzon; a Common 
Badger (J/e/es taxus, 2), British, presented by Mr. John N. 
Docwra; an Angolan Vulture (Gyfohierax angolensis) from 
North-west Africa, presented by Staff-Sergeant Patten; a 
Hoary Snake (Pseudaspis cana), a Rough-keeled Snake (Dasy- 
peltts scabya), two Rhomb-marked Snakes (7Z>2menorhinus 
rhombeatus), two Crossed Snakes (Psammophis crucifer) from 
South Africa, presented by Mr. J. E. Matcham; a Common 
Snake (Zyopzdonotus natrix), British, presented by Mr. E. C. 
Brook ; two Common Marmosets (Hafale jacchus) from South- 
east Brazil, a Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) from the | 
East Indies, a Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctexosaura acanthura) from 
‘Central America, a South Albemarle Tortoise (Zestado vicina) | 
from the Galapagos Islands, deposited ; 
(Lemur coronatus), born in the Gardens. 
NO. 1542, VOL. 60] 
MATORE 
two Crowned Lemurs | 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, JUNE 7.—This eclipse will 
be visible at Greenwich and throughout Northern Europe and 
Northern Asia. The Greatest Eclipse will be visible in latitude 
67° 18’ N., and longitude 99° 5’ W. of Greenwich, on June 7d. 
18h. 34" om. ; the magnitude being 0611 (sun’s diameter = 1). 
The following table gives the details for British stations, Green- 
wich mean time being used in all cases except that of Dublin, 
where local mean time is taken. 
Station | Begins Gsine Ends Mise, 
h. m. h. m. h. m. 
Greenwich ... 16 42'8 17 17°4 17 53°4 o'188 
Cambridge ... 16 43°2 17 186 | 17 55°5 O°197 
Oxford... 16 42°8 D7 LSs20 s\n) SS 0°200 
Liverpool ... 16 43°8 17, 20-5) || 18: (O:Olo2Rg 
Edinburgh ... 16 45°7 17 25°9 18 7°8 0'263 
Dublin... 16 18°6 16 57°3 17 37°6 | 0°253 
| = 
At Greenwich and approximately throughout the British Isles 
the contacts are as follows :— 
Angle from f First contact 42° towards the eS Fo 
North Point | Last ,, BOE. 3 fat Bast di ¥ 
Angle from f First ,, Gero 5» West (7/726 
Vertexg alle lcastamurctmn One) 5s i, Bast) (Sse: 
Comer 1898 a (Swirt).—The following ephemeris is by 
Herr H. Kreutz, in Astr. Mach., No. 3556 :— 
ae Fe) jet 12h. Berlin Mean Time. 
1899- = Decl. Br. 
as Ss. 
May 18 ... 22 34 21 +43 42°9 
19 .. 23 37 45 23°71 1°77 
20) Fs 22a O a7 MAL) 
21 . 21 58 20 48 44°5 1°79 
22 43 29 50 22°7 
23 26 59 51 56°5 179 
24 eno 53 23°9 
25 les 20145, 31 +54 41°8 7, 
During the ‘enh the comet passes through ieee without 
being near any conspicuous stars. Onthe 21st it enters Cygnus, 
being about 10° north-east of a Cygni on the 24th. 
TEMPEL’s CoMET (1873 II.).—M. L. Schulhof gives the 
following ephemeris for. this comet in Ast. Nach., No. 3554):— 
Ephemerts yah 12k. Parts Mean Time. 
R.A. 
1899. Decl. Br. 
m, ‘s. Ch yee /3 
May 18 ... 19 T2eLO3t —- 355 17 
TOM 13) 5320) -. BrSe is 
9). oe S.A Yf he 3 51 28... 0°764 
21 Ge MORO born 3.49 55 
22 18 41°8 ... 3 48 38 
23 20 17'3 ..- 3 47 3 
24s ZTE 5253... 3 46 53... 0869 
25 . 19 23 27°0... — 3 46 2 
The comet is moving slowly in a north-easterly direction 
through the constellation Aquila. 
RETURN OF HOLMEs’ COMET (1892, III.).—The following 
ephemeris is by Mr. H. J. Zwiers in Astr, Nach., No. 3553- 
Ephemerts erat uae Greenwich Mean Time. 
1899. : Decl. Br. 
hs mes. Sa 
May 18 © 34 532 ... + 10 12 50 00208 
ZO Ree 38 22°5 10 50 0 ‘0301 
22 41 511 Li 2706S “0304. 
2 45 19°! 12) 4y13 0306 
26 48 46°2 12 41 15 0309 
28 2p Tait 13 18 14 0312 
39 5) SURG. some tes “0315 
June I 059 44 . + 14 31 58 0318 
No information as to any observations of this comet has yet 
| been received. The positions given above would indicate it to 
be moving to the north-east through Pisces ; at the end of the 
| month it will be about half-way between Vy Pegasi and B Arietis, 
but after this it will probably be lost owing to its nearing the 
( sun, 
