94 
: NATCORE- 
absence of macles appear to indicate the variety of chalc>cite 
called cuprein by Breithaupt. 
All these coins were buried in a dark brown mud, containing 
numerous shells, many of which have been involved in the sul- 
phurated deposits. From analysis of a sample of the water 
obtained at 6°70 m. depth, it appears that, as in the thermal 
springs above referred to, there are no sulphides, but merely 
sulphates, which organic matters reduce to the state of sulphides. 
The novelty in production of the chalcocite in question arises 
from its occurrence apart, seemingly, from thermal springs, and 
at a lower temperature than in the cases hitherto known. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THE GREAT CoMET oF 1861.—The long series of observa- 
tions of this splendid comet has been very ably discuss:d, with 
the view to the determination of the most probable orbit, by 
Heinrich Kreutz, a pupil of Prof. Schonfeld of Bonn, and the 
investigation is made the subject of an inaugural dissertation in 
July, 1880. 
The comet was discovered on May 13 by Mr. John Tebbutt 
of Windsor, N.S.W., but the first accurate observations for 
position were made at the Observatory of Sydney on May 26. 
On June Io it was observed at Santiago di Chile, and on the 
following day at Rio de Janeiro. European observations com- 
menced on June 30, and were continued until May 1, 1862, the 
later places being obtained by M. Otto Struve with the 15-inch 
refractor at Pulkowa : the comet was not followed at other ob- 
servatories beyond February 3, when Prof. Julius Schmidt last 
observed it at Athens. The number of separate observations 
collected for the determination of the orbit exceeds 1150, and 
these extend, as will be seen, over a period of 114 months, in 
which the comet traversed an orbital arc of more than 155°. 
Seeling’s ellipse (period 4193 years) is adopted in the calculation 
of an accurate ephemeris for the whole extent of visibility, and 
the observations, freed from the effects of parallax and aberration, 
are compared with this ephemeris for the formation of normal 
places. The bestavailable positions of the comparison-stars were 
previously brought to bear upon the observations, so that they 
have received at the hands of M. Kreutz a general revision and 
rectification, proportional weights being applied after a criticism 
of the observations at the different observatories, forty-one in 
number. Thus thirty-one normal positions between 1861, May 
28, and 1862, April 23, were formed. The next step was the 
calculation of the planetary perturbations for the whole interval, 
and it was found that the attraction of Venus, the Earth, Jupiter, 
and Saturn were alone sensible ; June 12 was taken for the com- 
mencement of the perturbations. The normal places being 
corrected for their etfect, sixty-two differential equations were 
formed, and their solution by the method of least squares gave 
the definitive corrections required by Seeling’s orbit, which it 
may be stated proved sufficiently near the truth to render 
provisional correction unnecessary. The orbit which the comet 
was describing on June 12, or about the perihelion-passage in 
1861, is thus found to be as follows :— 
DEFINITIVE ELEMENTS OF THE GREAT COMET OF 1861, 
Perihelion passage, 1861, June 11°543949 M.T. at Berlin. 
Longitude of perihelion 249 4 587 
ae ascending node 278 58 53°4; M.Eq. 1862'0 
Inclination ... ; 85 26 15°3 
Eccentricity... ... 0°9850773 
Perihelion distance 0°8223838 
Semi-axis major ... 
Period of revolution 
55 1096+0'0330 
409°40+0°367 Julian years. 
It will be remarked that the probable error of the resulting 
period is strikingly small. 
M. Kreutz defers for the present an examination of the possible | 
effects of planetary perturbation during the last revolution, in 
view of identifying the comet amongst those observed in the 
fifteenth century. If, however, the perihelion passage occurred 
in the winter it is by no means certain that the comet would be 
sufficiently conspicuous and favourably placed to be remarked in 
Europe. The following figures will afford an idea of the diffi- 
culty that would attend observations in these latitudes during 
the winter season. Assuming the comet to have been in peri- 
helion twenty days earlier we have these positions for the 
respective dates (Eq. of 1861) :— 
R.A. I Intensity 
3 s from Earth, of light. 
Oct. 20 239°7 -17°3 1°53 0°52 
Novy. 20 2570 — 20°2 1°77 0°39 
Dec. 20 274° —20'8 1°88 0°35 
Jan. 20 291°5 -—19°3 1°86 0°36 
Feb. 20 308°5 -15'8 1°70 Mi 
In 1861, when the comet appeared as bright as a star of 4°5 
mag., the intensity of light was 1°5, and it was just perceptible 
to the naked eye, when the intensity had descended to 0°4, but 
there was still a tail of 24 degrees to distinguish it from a star, 
which would hardly be the case in the winter. 
THE SATELLITES OF MARS.—In No. 2934 of the Astronomische 
Nachrichten, Prof. Asaph Hall has given data for ephemerides 
of the satellites of Mars at the opposition of 1881. The N.W. 
elongations take place with the following values of u, corre- 
sponding to the argument of latitude :— 
Nov. 22 331°7 | Dec. 4 330°3 | Dec. 16 ... 327° 
26) rack 7QZIIA! 8 329°4 20 3258 
30 =. 33070 12 328°3 24 «. 324°5 = 
From Prof, Hall’s values of w it will be found that true N.W. 
elongations of Deimos occur Nov. 26°4411, Dec. 1°4886, Dec. 
6°5350, and S.E. elongations Nov. 24°5480, Nov. 28°3340, 
Noy. 29°5957, and Dec. 3°3793 Greenwich times. On Novem- 
° 
$ 
RiRinthgtnkcoe 
a 
ee ee 
ber 26 the distance of Demos from the centre of the primary 
at elongation is 48’°7. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE 
CAMBRIDGE.—The last report of the Higher Locai Examina- 
tions shows that in Group E (Natural Science subjects) there 
was a falling off of ten candidates and of two first classes this year. — 
The examiners in Geology and Zoology give a generally favour- 
able report. In Chemistry the practical work done was inferior, 
and common simple salts were not known bysight. Physiological 
Botany was little known; and the same remarks applied to His- 
tology in the paper on Animal Physiology. In Group D, Political 
Economy showed much success, especially among some of the 
better candidates. 
Dr. Latham and Mr. D. McAlister have been appointed 
members of the State Medicine Syndicate ; and Mr. McAlister 
has been also appointed a member of the Board of Medical 
Studies, 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LONDON 
Linnean Society, November 17.—Sir J. Lubbock, Bart., 
in the chair.—Sir John Kirk, K.C.M.G., was elected a Coun- 
cillor, and Mr. Frank Crisp Treasurer, in place of Mr. 
F. Currey, deceased. —Mr. George Murray exhibited (for 
Col, Turberville), a bough of Pinus pinaster, with suppressed 
internodes of the lateral branches, the result of injury to 
the axis from which they sprang.—De Francis Day showed 
examples of the stomach of the pilchard, with special reference 
to points in their digestion. Within the pyloric division of the 
stomach a membranous envelope incloses the food, the latter 
composed of the Zoéd stage of crustaceans. What peculiar 
function the sausage-shaped nerves serves in the economy of 
digestion is uncertain. — Mr. R. J. Lynch exhibited and 
read a short note on the contrivance for self-fertilisation 
in Roscoea purpurea, which to some extent resembles that 
of Salvia by modifications of anther and filament.—Sir John 
Lubbock, Bart., then read his ninth communication on the 
habits of ants, bees, and wasps. He detailed experiments prov- 
ing that bees prefer blue flowers to those of other-colours. But 
again if bees have so much to do with the origin of flowers, how 
| is it there should be so comparatively few blue ones? Sir John 
| suggests that all flowers were originally green, and then passed 
through white or yellow, and generally red, before becoming 
blue. Ants, he stated, may live seven or eight years.—Mr. C, 
B. Clarke described a Hampshire orchis not represented in 
English botany. ‘This pale, flesh-coloured, or yellow orchis he 
demonstrates is the true O. imcarnata, Linn., and not that 
figured by Syme and Babington, which is the O. /atifolia, Linn. 
—Prof. Cobbold described a new entozoon from the ostrich, 
named by him Stromylus Douglasit. It is said to prove de- 
