Dec. 29, 1881 | 
NATURE 
209 
sented by Mr. G. H, Tod-Heatley ; a Rhesus Monkey ? (M/a- 
cacus erythreus) from India, a Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo 
(Cacatua galerita) from Australia, deposited; a White-browed 
Amazon (Chrysotis albifyons) from Honduras, a White-headed 
Parrot (Pionus senilis) from Mexico, a Javan Parrakeet (Paleornis 
javanicus) from Java, two Chestnut-breasted Ducks (Avas cas- 
tanea, 6 @) from Australia, a Germain’s Peacock Pheasant 4 
Polyplectron germaini) from Cochin China, a Black-throated 
Diver (Colymbus arcticus), two Oyster-catchers (Hamatopus 
ostralegus) British, a Deer 6 (Cerz'zs sp. inc.) from Pata- 
gonia, purchased; four Undulated Grass Parrakeets (JZélop- 
sittacus undulatus) bred in the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THE SATELLITES OF MARS.—The following Greenwich times 
of elongations of these satellites are taken from an ephemeris 
contributed by Prof. Pritchett to Sczezce of November 26. At 
elongation Dezmos is distant about 52” from the planet’s centre 
and Phobos about 21”; the angle of position, 246°. 5h. 13m. 
are added to the Washington mean time, for difference of longi- 
tude and aberration-time :-— 
Deimos. 
h. m. 
Jan’. 45°03) (OW. 
h. eT 
Dec. 30, 11 57 W. 
a : | 6, 10 24 E. 
h. m. 
Jan. 2, 15 36 E. | 
Jan. 1, 9 20H. 3, 6 44 W. 
Phobos (W. elongations). 
h. m. 
Dec. 30, 8 16 
31,7 13 
Jan. 1,6 10 
bs im. h. m 
Jan. 2, 12 46 | Jan. 5, 9 38 
3, II 44 6, 8 36 
4, 10 41 | 7,7 33 
ComET 1881 ¢ (SwirT, NOVEMBER 16),—From observations 
between November 22 and December 12, Herr J, Palisa has 
calculated the following orbit of the comet: we express the 
elements in the form usual in the Catalogues :— 
Perihelion passage 1881, November 19'9987 Greenwich M.T. 
° au“ ‘ 
Longitude of perihelion 63 17 57 
oa ascending node melon, 2 0eriL 8 ea 
Inclination@e.t.\0 ks.) &-< 35 II 54 5 
Log, perihelion distance 0°284788 
Motion—retrograde. 
There is still a certain resemblance to the orbit of the first 
comet of 1792, discovered by Miss Caroline Herschel, as last 
calculated by Mechain, but the differences in the elements would 
not be.accounted for by perturbation in the interval, so that it 
is probable the cometsare distinct. Maskelyne’s observations in 
1791-92 will be found in his third volume in a form that will 
admit of a new reduction. 
THE COMETS OF SHORT PERIOD.—No one of the known 
comets fof short period is due at perihelion in the year 1882. 
The next to return may probably be that discovered by Tempel 
in July 1873, at the end of the year 1883, and about the same 
time D’Arrest’s comet will be round again. Brorsen’s comet 
follows in the autumn of 1884. 
VARIABLE STARS.—The following are Greenwich times of 
heliocentric minima of Algol, calculated upon similar data to 
those used for Prof. Winnecke’s ephemeris for 1881 :— 
h m hy am. epee 
January 3, 16 18°9 | January 12, 6 45°5 | January 29, 11 389 
6, 13 + 727 23,18 11] February 1, 8 27°83 
9, 9 56°6 26, 14 50'0 
Minima of S Cancri occur on January 19, at 13h. Im., and 
February 7, at 12h, 16m. A maximum of the ‘crimson star” 
R Leporis may be expected about January 19 ; the period from 
the last fifteen years’ observations is close upon 4364 days. 
We may once more draw attention to the star with which 
Encke’s comet was compared by Riimker at Paramatta on June 
19, 1822, and which is certainly variable to a considerable 
extent, Riimker estimated it between the fourth and fifth mag- 
nitude ; Gould says 6°0 in the Uranometria Argentina ; the star 
is 6°5m. in the Durchmusterung, but has been several times 
noted as low as the eighth magnitude: perhaps systematic ob- 
servation may show that the period is not a long one. The 
position of this star for 1882°0 is in R.A. 7h. 23m. 21s., 
N.P.D. 91° 39''8. 
GEOGRAPAICAL NOTES 
INFORMATION has been received from Tromsoe which augurs 
well for the success of Mr. Leigh Smith’s present voyage. 
Capt. Isaaksen, of the Norwegian whaler Proven, saw the Eira 
on June 30 at Matushin Straits at the edge of the ice, a few 
miles from the coast, On July 2 he again saw the Zzva steaming 
southward, and he concludes that Mr. Smith failed to force his 
way along the coast of Nova Zembla. It is supposed that he 
again failed to pass Kara Straits, as he was afterwards seen 
bearing north from Gooseland. Capt. Isaaksen says that the 
ice was in about its usual position in June and July, but on 
August § it had all gone, he did not know where or how. On 
the 16th of that month there was no ice twenty miles north of 
Nova Zembla, but a heavy sea was running from the north. 
This conclusively shows that the sea was open for ‘a very con- 
siderable distance, probably as far as Franz Josef’s Land, which 
Capt. Isaaksen feels certain Mr. Smith has reached, and in 
such circumstances he would not be astonished if tidings came of 
his having reached a point very much nearer the North Pole this 
year. As might have been expected, the Russian Government 
and: Mr. Gordon Bennett are doing everything possible to succour 
the people of the crushed Feannette; we hope they will soon be 
all safe in Western Europe. 
Dr. STECKER, the companion of Dr. G. Rohlfs, writes on 
June (21 to the editor of Petermann’s Mittheilungen, from 
Debra Tabor, on the results of his last journey to Lake Tana. 
He has explored all the lake, visited the mountains on its shores, 
and prepared a detailed map of this basin, which covers a sur- 
face of 2980 square kilometres, the level of which is 1942 metres 
above the sea, and which is 30 to 72 metres deep, The map 
will be the more welcome as Dr. Stecker says that all former 
maps of the Gorgora Mountains, situated north of the lake, and 
of its southern shores, are quite wrong. Dr. Stecker is satisfied 
with the reception he received during his journey from the 
native rulers, and especially from the Negus, who promises to 
let him go to Kaffa. During his stay at Lake Tana Dr, Stecker 
made interesting collections of plants, insects, fishes, and mol- 
luses, and he discovered in the Gorgora Mountains unmistakable 
proofs of volcanic activity: eruptive cones, a crater, and a 
mighty lava stream, all probably recent, as in the volcanic 
rocks, he has found inclosed remains of a molluse which still 
inhabits the waters of Laka Tana. After the end of the rainy 
season he proposes to explore the negro tribes who live west of 
Lake Tana, and then to travel either to the mouth of the Juba 
River or to Zanzibar vi@ Lake Samburu, Mounts Kenin and 
Kilimangaro, 
THE expedition led by Lieut. Holm, and sent out early in the 
summer by the Copenhagen Commission for the geological and 
geographical investigation of Greenland, has just returned. The 
expedition preceeded to the southernmost part of Greenland ; 
they succeeded in circumnavigating the large islands on the 
southern coast, and in determining the exact position of Cape 
Farewell. The land itself was investigated as far as line drawn 
from the Tasermint Fjord on the west coast, to the Lindenows 
Fjord on the east coast. It contains magnificent alpine scenery 
with enormous glaciers, particularly on the western side. The 
low-lying eastern part is covered with a layer of ice and snow, 
which forms hills and valleys, following the soil underneath ; 
here and there mountain peaks rise above the immense winter 
landscape. 
THE Oesterreichische Monatsschrift fur den Orient for November 
contains a paper by von Hellwald on the Gilyaks of Eastern 
Siberia. They inhabit the districts of the Lower Amour, the 
coast of the Straits of Tartary, and the northern part of Saghalin, 
Estimates of their numbers vary from 8000 to 3000. Col. 
Wenjukow thinks they form a special branch of the yellow race, 
but not a subdivision of the Tungusic stock. Their language, he 
says, has no resemblance to the Tungusic, and their physiological 
structure betoken a more powerful and energetic race than the 
neighbouring Magunes, Samagry, &c. Ravenstein also dis- 
tinguishes the Gilyak tongue, which is rich in monosyllables, from 
the Tungusic, and others distinguish it from the Aino, with 
which it has been sometimes connected. They are said to have 
oblique eyes, prominent cheek-bones, and scanty beards; the 
