538 
NATURE 
[SEPTEMBER 28, 1899 
Mr. Barbour Lathrop, of Chicago, for the exploration of that 
country, 
In honour of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Goethe 
(August 28, 1899), Dr. H. Potonié reprints, from his Matur- 
wessenschaftliche Wochenschreft, a treatise on the morphological 
origin of the leaves of plants. The importance is shown of the 
part played by Goethe’s theory of metamorphosis in the elucid- 
ation of problems connected with vegetable morphology, and it 
is pointed out that the introduction of the term ‘‘ morphology ” 
itself is due to Goethe. 
VOLUME XV., part 7 of the Mouveaux mémotres de la Soc. 
Imp. des Naturalistes de Moscou is chiefly occupied by a mono- 
graph of the genus Spheronema (Ascomycetes) by M. A. 
Jaczewski. He enumerates and describes seventy-two good 
specimens of the genus, seventy-seven being rejected as not 
properly belonging to it, besides eight others, for which a?new 
genus, Pseudographium, is formed. D. Strémonkhoff has also 
a short paper on the ammonites Phyloceras zignodianum and 
Lytoceras adelae, from the schists of Balaclava. 
Pror. VERNON L. KELLOGG gives an interesting account, 
in the American Naturalist for August, of the Hopkins 
Sea-side Laboratory on the Bay of Monterey, connected with 
the Leland Stanford Junior University. Monterey Bay and the 
Bay of Naples are stated to be much alike in the abundance and 
representation of species. The Bay is a middle point between 
the north and south zones of the Pacific coast. The regular 
sessions of the laboratory are held in June and July of each 
year ; but investigators and students working without instruc- 
tion may continue their work though the summer. Courses of 
lectures are given in general zoology, embryology and crypto- 
gamic botany. 
PRACTICAL directions for stuffing and setting up birds are 
given in ‘‘ Bird Stuffing and Mounting,” the fifth edition of 
which has been published by Messrs. J. and W. Davis, Dart- 
ford. To students of natural history and collectors this practical 
manual of taxidermy should be of service, 
_ IN connection with the Parents’ National Education Union, a 
course of lectures to young people will be delivered by Mr. 
Cecil Carus- Wilson at the Horbury Rooms, Notting Hill Gate, 
during this month and next, The titles of the lectures are 
“The Wonders of Rain,” ‘Ice and Glaciers,” ‘*The Mighty 
Ocean,” ‘‘ Volcanoes and Geysers.” The aim will be to 
interest and entertain children by directing their attention 
to the natural phenomena which surround them, and upon 
which the studies of geography, geology and physiography 
are based. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Macaque Monkey (Aacacus cynomolgus, 6 ) 
from India, presented by Dr. Montgomery Smith; an African 
Civet Cat (Wiverra czvetta) from West Africa, presented by 
Mr. W. H. Hardwick, R.N.; a Two-spotted Paradoxure 
(Nandinia binotata) from West Africa, presented by Mr. F. 
Gordon ; a Black-backed Kaleege (Zuplocamus melanonotus, ? ), 
two Sonnerat’s Jungle Fowls (Ga//us sonnerat?, 2 9), a Wood 
Francolin (Francolinus gularts) from India, presented by Mr. 
W. F. Pedler ; four Green Lizards (Lacerta viridis), European, 
presented by Mr. F. K. Preston; two Black-eared Marmosets 
(Hapale penicillata) from South-east Brazil, a Hocheur Monkey 
(Cercopithecus micticans), a Ruppell’s Parrot (Paeocephalus 
rueppellt) from West Africa, a Maroon Oriole (Oriolus tratliz) 
from India, two Radiated Tortoises (Zestado radiata) from 
Madagascar, deposited. 
NO. 1561, VOL. 60] 
| sible. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN, ~ ' 
New ALGOL VARIABLE IN CyGNus.—The following szznima 
occur at convenient times for obseryation during October :— 
R.A. 20h. 2°4m. 
D.M. + 45° "3062. Decl. + 45° 53' (1855) 
d. h, m W alli ny moh 
1899: ‘Oct. 5 ‘8 43 1899. Oct. 23 15 43 
22 ” 14 12 13 2” »” 28 5 28 
STELLAR PARALLAX.—M. Osten Bergstrand, of the Upsala 
Observatory, has recently been engaged in measuring photo- 
graphic chart plates to determine any possible evidence of stellar 
parallax (Astr. Mach., Bd. 150, No. 3593). The photographs 
were taken with the photographic refractor of 33 cm. aperture 
and 4°33 metres focal length during 1897 and 1898, all the 
measures being made with a Repsold micrometer in conjunction 
with a “‘reseau”’ by Gautier. After describing the method of 
measurement adopted, the following values for parallax are 
given :— 
Star. Parallax. : 
= 1516 A, + o”-080 + oorr, ... From measures of four 
comparison stars on 
} fourteen plates. 
A Oe. 11677.::. + O”*192 + O''013. ... From measures of 
3 
ie eight comparison 
} stars on zzze plates, 
The latter star is remarkable as having a very large proper 
motion—about' 3” annually. 
PRECESSION TABLES.—We have received a volume compiled 
by Dr. Downing, superintendent of the English Nautical 
Almanac, containing a series of tables which have been con- 
structed so as to give the values of the precessions corresponding 
to Newcomb’s value of the Precessional Constant, as deduced 
by him in accordance with the request made to him at the 
International Conference on Fundamental Stars, held in Paris 
in May 1896. “Prof. Newcomb’s original ‘results are published 
in the Astronomical Papers of the American Ephemeris, vol. viii. 
parti. The present tables are constructed for Epoch 1910'0, 
but the method of setting out is such that they can be used 
with facility, for at least ten years before and after that date. 
LONGITUDE FROM MOON CuLMINATIONS. —In a communica- 
tion to the Royal Astronomical Society ( 1/o2¢hly Notices, R.A.S., 
vol. lix. p.'§13,' May 1899), Mr. D. A. Pio, of Syra, Greece, 
brings forward.a new method of determining local longitude. 
The determination of culmination is only undertaken to give the 
precise instant of the moon’s transit across the local meridian, 
thereby obviating the necessity of an accurately adjusted transit 
instrument with the many precautions connected with it. The 
instruments required are a sextant, artificial horizon, and a well- 
rated chronometer, together with the usual tables. Instead of 
finding the right ascension of the moon directly as usual, the 
author obtains it indirectly by finding the mean local time of 
meridian passage, converting to sidereal time, and then adding 
the right ascension of the mean sun at local transit. The 
difficulty of finding the mean local time of transit is got over by 
observations of equal altitudes, the resulting ¢zmze of culmination 
requiring to be corrected to reduce it to ¢zze of transit, Local 
mean time is'determined by similar measures of equal altitudes 
of the sun. The difference between the times of transit of sun 
and moon thus obtained is, of course, the mean local time of the 
moon’s transit. The remaining calculations are precisely similar 
to the usual method of lunar distances, so that the novelty of 
the new method consists in the substitution of the use of ** equal 
altitudes’ with a sextant for meridian passage with a transit 
circle; in fact the observation is really a chronometric one. 
The difference in time between the transits of sun and moon 
should be correct to the ¢ez¢h of a second, and to facilitate this 
the two observations should be chosen as near together as pos- 
The method is stated to be unsuitable for high latitudes. 
The necessary formul for ‘‘ reduction to meridian ” are included 
in the article, and an example fully worked out to illustrate the 
exact method of procedure. 
