SEPTEMBER 21, 1899 | 
contribution to our columns Dr. Moreno stated his belief that 
the animal belonged to the genus Glossotherium (= Gryfo- 
therium), the creation of a new genus (Meomylodon) for its 
reception being accordingly superfluous. Accepting this de- 
termination, but using the synonym Gryfothertum, Dr. R. 
Hauthal, in a paper recently communicated to the “‘ Revista del 
Museo de la Plata” (vol. ix, p. 409), comes to the conclusion 
that the animal in question was kept by the prehistoric Indians 
of Patagonia in a domesticated state, and that the cave at 
Ultima Esperanza was the stable where the herd was nightly 
collected ! Several specimens of the hide, as well as abundant 
droppings in a dried state, have been obtained ; but in spite of 
this, the author is of opinion that all the remains date from 
prehistoric times. And he gives reasons for the belief that the 
creature cannot be living at the present day. Considering the 
animal in question to be distinct from the typical species, the 
author and his colleague Mr. Roth bestow the new title G. 
domesticum, apparently oblivious of Dr. Ameghino’s earlier 
name /s‘az, The promised continuation of this remarkable 
paper will be awaited with interest. 
SOME very interesting features in development are brought to 
light in Mr. J. S. Budgett’s ‘‘ Notes on Batrachians of the Para- 
guayan Chaco,” published in the last issue of the Quarterly 
Journal of Microscopical Sctence. It is well known that in some 
of the arboreal frogs the tadpole stage, to meet the necessities of 
existence, is more or less abbreviated ; and the author describes 
an instance of this in a species of Phy//omedusa, illustrating his 
notes with a beautiful coloured plate. After mentioning how 
the male and female hold together the edges of a leaf (which 
afterwards become united by the jelly of the egg-mass) during 
oviposition so as to form a funnel for the reception of the eggs, 
the developmental stages are described in detail. In the short 
period of six days the embryo leaves the egg as a pellucid 
tadpole of a bright green colour, whose only conspicuous parts are 
its eyes. The tadpole, which may have to travel several inches 
in order to reach the water, is hatched without a trace of yolk, 
and with the loss of external gills; breathing taking place by 
means of a median spiracle, and the lungs being distinctly 
visible through the body-wall. Pigment is locally developed 
next day ; and at the end of about five weeks the hind limbs 
appear. When both pairs of limbs are developed, the young 
frog lands, and sits quietly among the grass till its tail is com- 
pletely absorbed, when it is practically adult. 
THE second volume of Prof. G. O. Sars’ work on the 
Crustacea of Norway, dealing with the Isopoda, has just been 
completed. The volume is the first in which the Scandinavian 
Isopoda are treated as a whole, and it should be of much 
practical use to zoologists. The third volume of the work, 
now in preparation, will treat of the anomalous group Cumacea, 
and will consist of about 150 pages with sixty plates. 
Ar the Royal Victoria Hall, Waterloo Bridge Road, the 
following popular science lectures will be delivered on Tuesday 
evenings during October :—October 3, ‘‘ The Value of Nitrogen,” 
Prof. Holland Crompton, F.R.S. October 10, ‘‘ Liquid Air,” 
Prof. W. Ramsay, F.R.S. October 17, ‘*Source and Course 
of the River Thames,” Dr. C. G. Cullis. October 24, 
**Photographs taken in the Dark,” Dr. Russell, F.R.S. 
October 31, ‘* Kamchatka,” Captain Barrett Hamilton. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Maholi Galago (Galago maholz) from South 
Africa, presented by Mr. James W. Park; two Black-eared 
Marmosets (Hafale penici/lata) from South-east Brazil, pre. 
sented by Mr. F. M. Still; a Guinea Baboon (Cynocephalus | 
sphinx, ?) from West Africa, presented by Mr. J. Huxley; a 
Black-backed Jackal (Canzs mesomelas), four Bristly Ground 
NO. 1560, VOL. 60] 
NATURE 
SIL) 
Squirrels (Xerzs sefosus), a Vulturine Eagle (Ayucla verreauxz, 
juv.), two Hispid Lizards (dvama hispida), four Delalande’s 
Lizards (Wucras delalandiz), seven Rufescent Snakes (Leptodzra 
hotambazia), four Crossed Snakes (Psammophis crucifer), five 
Rhomb-marked Snakes (Zrimerorhinus rhombeatus), eight 
Rough-keeled Snakes (Dasyfeltis scabra), an Infernal Snake 
(Boodon infernalis), two Puff Adders (ABztis arzetans) from South 
Africa, presented by Mr. J. E. Matcham ; a Fulmar (/z/arus 
glactalis) from Iceland, presented by Mr. G. S. Hett; a Lap- 
wing ( Vanellus cristatus), British, presented by the Rev. A. 
Barham Hutton; a Herring Gull (Lavus argentatus), British, 
presented by Mr. J. L. Bell; two Common Chameleons 
Chamaeleon vulgaris) from North Africa, presented by Mr. 
Ronald H. Archer; a Common Viper (Vifera berus), British, 
presented by Mr. P. Debell Tuckett ; a Kinkajou (Cercoleptes 
caudivolvulus) from South America, an Arctic Fox (Cazzs 
lagopus) from Finland, a Palm Squirrel (Sczurus palmarum, 
albino) from India, a Black-headed Conure (Conurus nanday) 
from Paraguay, deposited. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
Homes’ CoMET 1899 @ (1892 III.).— 
Ephemerts for 12h. Greenwich Mean Time. 
Br. 
1899. R.A Decl. el . 
ies. ss Chi) oT re (vA) 
Sept. 21 3 9 3598 +4445 197 01758 0'05727 
22 9 31°29 44 57 203 
23 Q 24°28 45 9 102 
24 9 14°91 45 20 49°1 
25 9 318 45 32 1674 0'1740 0'05809 
26 8 49°09 45 43 31°8 
27 8 32°62 45 54 34°8 
28 8 13°75 46 5 25°0 
29 7 52°50 46 16 2°0 O'1721. 0'05881 
30 7 28°36 46 26 25°1 
Ocha Tae2nS5 46 36 3471 
2 6 34°46 46 46 28 2 
3 3 6 3°71 +4656 7°2 071702 0705939 
New Spectroscopic MULTIPLE STAR.—The San Francisco 
correspondent of the Standard (September 11) reports that Prof, 
W. W. Campbell, of the Lick Observatory, announces that he has 
obtained spectroscopic evidence that the North Pole star, Polaris, 
is in reality a system consisting of three bodies. Two of these 
revolve round each other in a period of fou days, and simul- 
taneously they together revolve around a third body, in the same 
manner as the earth and planets revolve round the sun. It is 
improbable that any of these distant bodies will ever be visible 
separately, their distance from each other being so small that it 
can only be detected by the change in wave-length of the lines 
in the spectrum of the system, owing to the continual approach 
and recession of each component during their mutual revolutions. 
SOUTHERN VARIABLE STARS.—In the Astronomical Journal 
(No. 468), Mr. R. T. A. Innes gives the results of observations 
on variable stars made at the Cape Observatory since 1896. 
The working catalogue was mainly derived from lists supplied 
by Prof. J. C. Kapteyn, who noted all suspected cases of 
variability in the course of his work on the Cape Photographic 
Durchmusterung. The present communication considers twenty- 
seven stars, of which one is probably of the Algol type. The 
period of this is found to be 12°906 days, and consequently this 
star is conspicuous as being the longest period Algol variable. 
Its position is 
R.A. 7h. 42m. 41°Is. | 875)' 
Decl. — 41° 40 ‘is 75), 
The visual variation of magnitude is from 9*5 to 10°7, and 
photographically from 9°3 to 10°2.. 
THE Bulletin de la Société Astr. de France for September 
contains several interesting papers.—‘‘* Photography of stellar 
spectra,” by Prof. A. Cornu, consists of a short description of 
the methods and results of researches into stellar constitution. 
MM. Flammarion and Antoniadi describe their most recent 
| observations of Mars, including illustrations showing the land- 
