348 
THE action of very diluted nitromuriatic acid (aqua regia) on 
meat and other animal substances has been recently studied by 
Signor Pavesi (Giorz. Farm. Chim. xxxi. 529), and he finds the 
substance an excellent preserving agent ; meat in pieces of about 
1kg. kept in the liquid in wooden vessels remains unaltered and 
savoury for years. The meat treated may also be dried at 15° 
to 20° without undergoing change, apart from a diminution of 
volume and the appearance of a brown colour. Put for a few 
hours in water, the meat recovers its original softness and natural 
colour. The proportions of the acids in the preserving liquid 
are not given. The method is also adapted to preservation of 
animal substances for scientific purposes. 
Two shocks of earthquake occurred at Agram, the first at 
8.44 p.m. on the 4th and the other about 1 a.m. on the 5th. 
Both were of a violent character, accompanied, as the former 
disturbances were, by a rolling, thundering noise underground. 
The direction of the motion was from north-east and south-west, 
and each shock lasted about four seconds. No damage has been 
done hitherto. A telegram from New York, February 5, states 
that earthquakes have occurred at Bloomington, Illinois, and 
Wolfborough, New Hampshire, U.S., but no serious conse- 
quences are reported. 
THE German Aéronautical Society held its general meeting at 
Berlin on January 13 last. During 1882 no less than 230 pro- 
posals, principally relating to the steerage of balloons, were 
submitted to the Society, none, however, furthering the question 
in any material way. 
A MEMBER of the Paris ‘‘ Ecole pratique d’acclimatation” 
has discovered a species of spider on the African coast, the 
firm and long web of which resembles yellow silk very closely, 
and is said to be almost as good as the product of real silk- 
worms. The syndicate of the Lyons silk-merchants has closely 
investigated the matter, and the result is reported as highly 
favourable. There seems to be no difficulty in the way of 
acclimatising the new silk-producer in France. 
NeEws has been received in Bolivia regarding Dr. Crevaux’s 
mission. It appears that several members of this expedition 
were not killed, as was formerly reported, but are kept prisoners 
by the Tabo Indians. 
THE Museum of the Berlin Society for Commercial Geo- 
graphy will be opened on April 1 next. From time to time 
there will be in this museum special exhibitions arranged by 
foreign states. Several of these are already announced. The 
best part of the Brazilian exhibition will remain in the Museum. 
LizuT. WISSMANN, the intrepid and successful German 
traveller, arrived at Cairo on January I. His route from Loanda, 
by way of Nyangwe, on the Lualaba River, to Zanzibar, which 
measures about 3600 kilometres, led him for at least one-third of 
the distance through unexplored country. He has thus solved 
some of the enigmas of equatorial Africa. It is the southern 
half of the Congo basin through which Wissmann passed, and 
he found this to be most densely populated. This fact is remark- 
able, as it was entirely unexpected. Wissmann also passed 
through the land of a tribe of dwarf negroes. On the long and 
dangerous route from Lake Tanganyika to Zanzibar the traveller 
met with a most hospitable reception at the hands of the 
renowned brigand chief Mirambo, who supported him in every 
respect, 
In our last number we stated that M. Tissandier’s electro- 
mignetic machine had given a power of 4 horses per hour; it 
should have been 4 horse-power. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua 
NATURE 
| Jed. 8, 1883 
galerita) from Australia, presented by Mrs. Norman; a Roseate 
Cockatoo (Cacatua roseicapilla) from Australia, presented by 
Mrs. Sims; a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) from North 
America, presented by Mr. C. H. Webster ; a Vulpine Phalanger 
(Phalangista vulpina) from Australia, presented by Mr. G. S. 
Northcote ; four Ceylonese Terrapins (Clemmys trijuga) from 
Ceylon, four River Turtles (Zmyda ) from India, 
a Globose Curassow (Crax globicera 2) from South America, 
deposited; a Blue-cheeked Amazon (CArysotis caligena) from 
Guiana, two Maximilian’s Parrots (Pionus maximiliani) from 
Brazil, purchased ; a Collared Fruit Bat (Cyzonycteris collaris), 
two Four-horned Antelopes Zetraceros quadricornis), born in 
the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
DENNING’s ComMET.—Mr. W. E, Plummer, of the University 
Observatory, Oxford, has made an interesting contribution to 
a branch of astronomical investigation, in which we have not 
shone greatly in this country, in the shape of a definitive deter- 
mination of the elements of the orbit of the comet discovered by 
Mr. W. F. Denning, of Bristol, on the morning of October 4, 
1881, which proved to be one of short period, though not pre- 
viously observed, Accurate positions were obtained between 
October 5 and November 19 at Athens, Dun Echt, Harvard 
College, U.S., Marseilles, Odessa, Oxford, Palermo, Paris, 
Rome, and Strasburg. Starting with the second ellipse calcu- 
lated by Dr. Hartwig, which assigned a revolution of 8°884 
years, Mr. Plummer compares all the observations with an 
ephemeris computed therefrom. He then determines, by the 
method of variation of constants, for four-day intervals, the 
effect of perturbations by each of the planets from Mercury to 
Saturn inclusive, during the period of visibility ; the influence of 
the perturbations upon the observed right ascensions and decli- 
nations being inferred by calculating the differential coefficients 
for variation of elements for the part.cular epochs, and these co- 
efficients were used in the formation of equations of condition. 
The tabular longitudes of the sun were corrected by the results 
of observations at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, supplied 
by the Astronomer-Royal. Normal equations were then formed 
and solved in the usual manner by least squares, and a corrected 
set of elements was thus found. The positions of the comet 
computed from them, and the positions inferred from the 
substitution of the corrections to the elements in the original 
equations of condition, agreed generally, but owing to their 
considerable amount, and the neglect of terms of the second 
order in calculating the differential coefficients, the agreement 
was notexact. Since Mr. Plummer’s principal object was the 
determination of the comet’s mean motion, he preferred to obtain 
the values of the several unknown quantities in terms of the 
mean motion, so that by successive small variations of this 
element, accompanied by the corresponding alterations in the 
others, several sets of elements could be formed, and the prefer- 
able orbit selected by direct comparison with the observations. 
This additional labour adds much to the value of Mr. Plummer’s 
work. He accepts as the most trustworthy guide the sums of 
the squares of the errors in right ascension and declination, 
though the two do not correspond to precisely the same value of 
the mean motion, and so obtains the following definitive 
orbit :— 
Epoch 1881, September 28°5 Greenwich M.T. 
Meananomaly ... ... I 40 35°39 
Longitude of perihelio: 18 36 12°8 
55 »» . ascending node 65 52 2°'0 Mena 
Inclination ate) Pee 6 50 22°6 
Angle of eccentricity ... 56 8 284 
Log. semi-axis major ... 0°6315148 
Period of revolution 3235 days. 
Hence we find (the unit of distance being the earth’s mean 
distance from the sun)— 
Semi-axis major ... 4°28070 | Eccentricity ... 0°8304135 
A minor... 2°38498 | Period in years 8 8567 
Aphelion distance.. 7°83545 The perihelion passage Sept. 
Perihelion distance 0°72595 ; ( 13°43493 M.T. at Greenwich. 
The orbit of this comet is remarkable for the near approach it 
makes to the orbits of Venus, the Earth, and Jupiter. By Mr. 
