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NATURE 
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[eb. 22, 1883 
competing for this prize are to be sent in before October 
I, 1885, 
EARTHQUAKES are reported from Silesia and North-Eastern 
‘Bohemia. Two shocks were noticed on January 31, at2.40p.m., 
at Trautenau. Their direction was from south-west to north-east. 
They were also felt at Braunau, Jungbuch, Freiheit, Marschen- 
dorf, Grossaupa, Spindelmiihle, and Johannisbad, and also at 
Gorbersdorf and Landeshut. The motion was undulatory and 
lasted from three to five seconds. No damage was done. 
_ THE Paris papers report the extraordinary run of a small 
hydrogen gas balloon, capacity about two gallons, which, having 
been liberated at Bercy, was discovered at Grodno in Poland, 
having travelled more than two thousand miles ; it is the longest 
air journey on record for so small an object. 
THE French gas companies have instituted at their com- 
mon expense a laboratory for testing the several inventions 
reported in electric lighting, and proving whether they are valu- 
able or not. After alluding to this foundation, and the much- 
spoken-of experiments tried at the French Great Northern 
Railway Station, a French scientific periodical says: ‘‘ Mieux 
yaut un sage enemi qu’un imprudent ami.” 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Green Monkey (Cercopithecus callitrichus é ) 
from West Africa, presented by Mr. J. F. Williams ; a Punjaub 
Wild Sheep (Ovis cycloceros $) from North-West India, pre- 
sented by Lieut.-Col. C. S. Sturt, C.M.Z.S.; a Thar (Capra 
jemlaica) from the Himalayas, presented by Lieut.-Col. Alex. 
A. A. Kinloch, A.Q.M.G., C.M.Z.S.; a Blyth’s Tragopan 
(Certornis blythi ¢) from Upper Assam, a Fythch’s Partridge 
(Bamébusicola fythcht) from Upper Assam, presented by Capt. 
Brydon ; a Small Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa) from South 
India, presented by Dr. Rogers W. Taylor ; a Macaque Monkey 
(Macacus cynomolgus 6) from India, a Common Cormorant 
(Phalacrocorax carbo), British, deposited; three Stump-tailed 
Lizards) Trachydosaurus rugosus) from Australia, purchased. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THE GREAT CoMET oF 1882.—The following places for 
Berlin midnight are derived from Dr. Kreutz’s ellipse :— 
R.A. Decl. Log. Distance from 
1883. hm. s. z Earth. Sun: 
February 26 ... 5 52 10 ...—15 43°3 ... O°4551 ... O°5122 
Yes sina 15 17°I ... 0°4629 ... 075158 
March 2a aby D2 14 51°5 -.. 0°4705 ... O°5193 
Ae. Gu5E 4S: 14 26°5 ... 0°4781 ... 0°5227 
Ol SET 10 14 2°I ... 0°4856 ... 075261 
8... 5 5057 ... 13 38°4 ... 0°4930 ... 0°5295 
10... 5 51 O ...—13 1574 ... 075003 ... 0°5329 
Mr. E. E. Barnard, of Nashfield, U.S., reports that on the 
morning of October 14 he found to the south of the comet a 
but less bright object close beside this, their borders touching, 
and on the opposite side of the first a third fainter mass: the 
three were almost in a line, east and west. More of these 
cometary masses were found towards the south-east: there were 
at least six or eight within about 6° south by west of the head 
of the great comet. 
comets with very slightly brighter centres, several being in the 
field at once. They were not seen again after being obscured 
by daylight on the morning of October 14. 
Dr. Julius Schmidt’s observations of a cometary mass near 
the head of the great comet are already published in No, 2468 
of the Astronomische Nachrichten. 
On the 5th inst., with the large refractor at Strasburg, the 
comet had two stellar nuclei, the fainter of the two on an angle 
of 246°, and 38” distant from the brighter, which was observed 
for position, On January 27, Mr. Ainslie Common, of Ealing, 
Their appearance was that of distinct | 
with his large reflector, saw the nuclear part of the comet larger 
but less bright than previously, and resolved into a string of 
brightish points, the second and third of which were much the 
brightest. The position-angle was 240° 20’, and the distance 
between the brighter points was 317'5, so that they doubtless 
correspond to the two ‘‘fixternartige Kerne” observed at Stras- 
burg. Inasketch with which Mr. Common has favoured us, 
five points of condensation are shown ; it was made at 9g p.m. 
on January 27. 
VARIABLE STARS.—Dr, Julius Schmidt has published his 
usual summary of results of observations of variable stars, made 
at Athens in 1882. Minima of Ceraski’s variable U Cephei 
occurred on November 25 at $h. 57°2m. mean time at Athens, 
and on November 30 at 8h. 36°5m. Minima of Algol on 
November 29 at 11h. 30°4m., and December 2 at 8h. 7'Im., 
the first determined from observations extending over 5"4h., and 
the second from an interval of 7°5h. R Hydrz was at maximum 
on March 8, when it attained 4°3m. Mira Ceti at minimum on 
February 4, magnitude 95; the statement in some of our 
popular treatises on astronomy, that this star disappears at 
minimum is erroneous ; its average brightness at that time is 
about 9m. on Argelander’s scale, according to the most experi- 
enced observers. x Cygni was at maximum September 1°5, 
the predicted date being August 25. The variations of a Her- 
culis during the year were small, but well fixed by numerous 
observations ; the period, as usual, irregular; the same may be 
said of g Herculis. T Cephei at maximum on January II, 6"7m., 
the increase of light much quicker than the decrease ; V Coronze 
at maximum September 15°6; the fine variable R Leonis was at 
maximum on May 20, 6*5m., and at minimum on November 6, 
gm.; R. Piscium at maximum on December 5°3, the increase of 
light slower than previously; Palisa’s variable in Scorpio at 
maximum July 9°7, 12m.; of R Scuti, a maximum occurred 
October 11, well-determined minima, on June 21 and December 
6; Harding’s variable R Virginis was at maximum April 16°6, 
and at minimum June 305, the limits of brightness being 7m. 
and I1°7m, 
It is much to be desired that the number of observers of these 
interesting objects should be largely increased ; their observation 
opens up a field of useful work, even to an amateur with the 
most modest of optical appliances. At present our knowledge 
of the subject is mainly due to the systematic labours of the 
indefatigable director of the Observatory at Athens. 
A New NEsBULA.—Mr. Barnard notifies his discovery of a 
new nebula 1° 48’ north, and 5m. 39s. west of @ Virginis. It 
was observed with the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College by 
Mr. Wendell, and described as ‘‘rather diffuse and faint, but 
gradually a little brighter in the middle” ; its position for the 
beginning of 1882 is in R.A. 14h. 16m. 19°6s., Decl. +0° 9’ 14”. 
This nebula is not found in the Harvard Zones, Nos. 53 and 54, 
observed on May 9 and 11, 1853, and which would overlap its 
place, though three new and faint nebulz were first detected in 
those Zones, viz. Nos. 33-35 of Prof. Auwer’s Catalogue of new 
nebule in the Konigsberg observations. This object may be 
worth watching, on the score of possible variability. 
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
In NATuRE last week we announced that an Arctic expedition 
this summer had been decided on in Sweden. This expedition, 
Ae) | which has been promoted by the well-known Swedish Mecenas, 
large, distinct cometary mass, fully 15’ in diameter, and a similar | 
Dr. Oscar Dickson, will be in command of Baron Nordenskjold, 
whose intention it is on this occasion to explore the east and 
north-east coast of Greenland. It was originally his intention 
to have proceeded this summer into the Siberian seas, but seeing 
the delay caused to the Danish Polar Expedition, which will now 
be there during the summer, this idea was abandoned and 
Greenland decided on instead. Baron Nordenskjold, having 
formerly visited the country, is of the opinion that some kind of 
“break,” or oasis, is to be found in the interior of Greenland. 
He purposes to proceed along the east coast of Greenland, as 
far as the ice will allow, and then to penetrate into the interior, 
some 300 miles across the inlandice. ‘The country inland is nearly 
the whole year covered by ice and snow, which, during the sum- 
mer months, render it almost entirely one bog. The enormous 
stretch of inland ice has also always been a barrier to exploraticn. 
Another object in view by Baron Nordenskjéld is to attempt to 
find traces of the Norse colonies, which existed in Greenland 
