Aucust 31, 1899] 
zones of Gryphaea vesicularis, Radiolites, Ostrea acuterostris, 
&c., are noted. Economic geology rightly received considerable 
attention, and the mineral Mica was selected for special study. 
Records are also given of the important work done in the 
Laboratory and in the Palzontological Department. 
Tue fourth edition of ‘‘ Remarkable Eclipses,” by Mr. W. 
T. Lynn, has just been published by Mr. Edward Stanford. 
Reference is made to the results of observations of the Indian 
eclipse last year, and to the eclipse which will occur on May 
28,1900. The central line of this eclipse will pass from 
America across Portugal, Spain and Algeria, 
THE tenth annual report of the Missouri Bot anical Garden 
has recently been published. Dr. W. Trelease, the Director of 
the Garden, states that the collection of plants now includes 
more than eight thousand species and varieties, of which all 
but one or two hundred are named with more or less accuracy. 
Among the collections specially worthy of mention are the cacti, 
of which 462 species are cultivated ; the orchids, represented 
by 548 named forms ; the aroids, of which there are 274 species 
in the collection ; the ferns, including 169 species; and palms, 
61 species ; while of hardy trees and shrubs there are 1811 
species and varieties; of hardy herbaceous plants, 2179 ; and 
of vegetables, 1016, Roughly divided, the collection includes 
5000 hardy forms, and 3o00c cultivated under glass. The Her- 
barium comprises 307,460 specimens. Two scientific papers 
are included in the present report: one on the grasses in the 
Bernhardi Herbarium in the Missouri Botanical Garden, and 
another on a sclerotioid disease of beech roots. There is also a 
biographical sketch, by Prof. C. S. Plumb, referring to the late 
Dr. E. Lewis Sturtevant, whose gift of his extensive and valuable 
library of pre-Linnean works was an event in the history of the 
Garden ; and a list of publications issued from the Garden in 
1897 and 1898. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Serval (Fe/és serva/) from Africa, presented 
by Sir R. B. Llewellyn, K.C.M.G.; a Macaque Monkey 
(Macacus cynomolgus) from India, presented by Mr. T. Mark 
Merriman ; a Bonnet Monkey (JZacacus sznicus) from India, 
presented by Mr. J. M. Skinner ; a Spotted Ichneumon (/er- 
pestes auro-punctatus) from Nepal, presented by Miss Jackson ; 
a Red-faced Onakari (Onacaria rubicunda) from the Upper 
Amazons, a Red-vented Cockatoo ( Cacatua hoematuropygia) from 
the Philippine Islands, deposited ; two Lion Marmosets (JZidas 
vosalia) from South-east Brazil, four Violet Tanagers (Zuphonia 
violacea), three Blue-shouldered Tanagers ( Zanagra cyanoptera), 
a Black-headed Sugar Bird (Chlorophanes \viridis) from Brazil, 
a Black-necked Swan (Cygnus mnigricoll’s) from Antarctic 
America, purchased. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN, 
ASTRONOMICAL OCCURRENCES IN SEPTEMBER :— 
September 4. 19h. Mercury at greatest elongation (18° 2’ W.). 
9. 7 Jupiter in conjunction with moon ( y 4° 51’ 
12. 6h, Saturn in conjunction with moon (h 
155%; N's); 
12. 8h. 47m. to gh. 26m. Occultation of 39 
Ophiuchi (mag. 6’0) by the moon. 
13. 5h. 5m. to 6h. gm.. Occultation of 1 Sagittarii 
(mag. 5°3) by the moon. 
14. 1th, 47m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
15. Mars. Illuminated portion of disc 0°967. 
17. 8h. 36m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
19. 6h. 25m. Transit (ingress) of Jupiter’s Sat. III. 
23. 15h. 29m. to 16h. 25m. Occultation of A! 
Tauri (mag. 4°5) by the moon. 
NO. 1557, VOL. 60] 
NATURE 429 
Hovmes’ CoMEr 1899 @ (1892 III.).— 
Ephemeris for 12h. Greenwich Mean Time. 
1899. R.A. Decl. Br. 
hig sess ome a re (7A) 
August 31 3 2 59°26 +40 I 268 
Sept. 1 3 37°68 40 16 38 o1851 0'05219 
2 4 14°34 40 30 31°8 
3 4 49°22 49 44 56°5 
4 5 22°26 40 59 16'0 
5 5 53°46 41 13 298 0'1833  0°05328 
6 6 22°76 41 27 37°9 
7 3 6 50°14 +41 41 400 
SPECTRA OF RED STars (SEccHI’s Type IV.).—In the 
Astrophysical Journal, vol. x. pp. 87-112, Messrs. G. E. Hale 
and F. Ellerman contribute the first of a proposed series of 
papers describing the additional work they have done on these 
stars since the first investigations in January 1898. The photo- 
graphs have been obtained with the Yerkes 40-inch Jens, which 
being corrected only for the visual rays, somewhat limited the 
region of spectrum available, until a correcting lens was obtained. 
This consists of a compound lens of 32 mm. aperture, supported 
in the coneof rays from the 40-inch objective at a distance of 
about 30 cm. from the slit of the spectroscope. The introduc- 
tion of this lens decreases the focal length of the objective for 
light of A 4500 by about 60 mm., but at the same time it so 
alters the original steepness of the colour-curve that it is found 
possible to photograph a much larger extent of spectrum at the 
same time. 
The spectroscope originally used has been considerably modified. 
The collimator lens has an aperture of 31 mm. and focus of 
507mm. Three prisms of dense flint (u = 1°695) are available, 
and for most of the work it has been found best to use a short 
camera, aperture of lens (a photographic doublet) being 37 mm. 
and its focal length 271 mm. 
The width of the photographed spectra is usually about 
0°18 mm. ; the scale of the negatives is such that 
at A 4400, I mm. =18°'5 tenth metres ; 
>» A 5350, I mm. = 49°6 tenth metres. 
The authors proceed to describe in minute detail their methods 
of measurement and reduction, introducing a very ingenious 
interpolating machine they have devised to draw the reduction 
curves as accurately as possible. 
Several illustrations accompany the article, showing the 
breech-piece of the 40-inch with various spectroscopes in posi- 
tion, two views of the interpolating machine, and a reproduction 
of the spectrum of 152 Schjellerup extending from A 4800 to 
A 6300. With respect to the latter, attention is drawn to the 
apparent bright line at A 5592. The authors find it is easily 
photographed with four mznutes’ exposure, while to obtain the 
continuous spectrum adjoining of equal density takes from 12 to 
15 minutes. This they think is in favour of its being a true 
bright line. From its appearance, they think it probable that 
whatever substance produces this line must exist in the star’s 
atmosphere at a level adove that of the carbon or hydrocarbon 
vapour which produces the heavy absorption-bands. 
PHOTOMETRY OF THE PLEIADES.—Herren G. Miiller and P. 
Kempf, of the Potsdam Observatory, have been investigating the 
brightness of the component stars of the Pleiades group, and 
the greater part of Astr. Nach. (Bd. 150, Nos. 3587-8) is 
devoted to their communication. They begin by giving tables 
showing the values obtained for the magnitudes of the principal 
stars by previous authorities, including Lindeman, Pickering, 
and Pritchard, and also an analysis of these values showing the 
varying discrepancies between the several measures of the same 
star. Then follows an account of their work of determining the 
magnitudes of 96 stars of the group, the instrument used being 
a Zollner photometer in conjunction with telescopes of varying 
apertures. Full details are given of the preliminary experi- 
ments made for determining the constants of the instruments, 
&c., using certain of the stars as standards. 
THE SysTEM OF Sir1us.—In the Astr. Mach. (Bd 150, 
No. 3588), Herr H. J. Zwiers, of Leiden, givesa revision of his 
previously calculated elements for the Sirius system (Asér. 
Nach., No. 3336), which he has been enabled to make by 
employing the recent measures of Messrs. Aitken and Hussey, 
