440 
NATURE 

SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
BRrisTou 
Observing Astronomical Society.—‘* Report of Observa- 
tions to August 31.” Sol Phenomena.—Mr. T. W. Back- 
house, of Sunderlind, reports as follows :—‘‘A fine group of 
spots passed the sun’s centre in the southern hemisphere on the 
17th August. I mate the following measarema2nts of its chief 
spot :— 
UMBRA PENUMBRA 
Date H, OM. Length Length Width 
August II 21 20 = 82,000 46,009 
5 139 921620 —— 71,000 abt. 18,000 
” OES, 14,500 ae sas 
90 TAS 200) 16,500 66,000 —— 
s 15 21 15 16,509 65,c00 34,000 
” 18 3 30 9; 500 59,000 39,090 
os 20) 21 “o —— 75,000 —— 
a ‘21 21 20 smallish Bes —— 
into four 
The penumbra had a more ragged appearance than is often the 
case. If this group has returned to this side of the sun it con- 
tains no important spots this month. It generally contained two 
or three large penumbrze, of which I made several measurements, 
and on the 18th they were united at 3h 30m, making a penumbra 
78,500 miles long and 41,000 wide at its widest part, and at 
2th 10 n 84,090 miles long. By the 25th all its spots were so 
reduced as tu be quite small.” 
The Moon.—Mr. Albert P. Holden, of London, writes :— 
“Shortly before Jast quarter of the moon in August I ob- 
served the unilluminated portion unusually bright with 
earthshine. A few prominent craters could be traced, whilst 
the whole of the dark outlines of the A/are Serenitatis 
were easily recognised. The darkest object was the are 
Crisium, which appeared almost black, and very consider- 
ably darker than any other of the great plains. It does not 
seem improbable that the depth of colour seen in the A/are Cri- 
sium and other planes may be due to a covering of alluvial earth, 
to which vegetation may at times give the greenish tinge occa- 
sionally observable. 
August Meteors.—These phenomena were observed by the 
Rev. S. J. Johnson, at Crediton, and Mr. William F. 
Denning, at Bristol On August 10 Mr. Johnson wit- 
nessed the appearance of shooting stars at the rate of twenty- 
six per hour. Mr. Denning maintained a watch during three 
evenings, and the average number seen per hour was as follows : 
Aug 9, 18; 10, 28 ;11, 46. The maximum number was seen on 
the litter da‘e. He observed 260 meteors altogether during the 
above dates, and the sky was under observation for a period of 
8{ hours. The most briiliant meteors were ol served at 12h 23m 
on Aug. 10, and at oh 44m and 12h 50m on Aug. It. Very 
nearly all the meteors observed radiated from the small star 6 in 
Camelopardalus. Nearly all of them were accompanied by 
trains, which became extinct immediately after the disappearance 
of the meteors themselves. 
The Nebula “in the Pleiades in Taurus.—Mr. Albert P. 
Holden has again endeavoured to pick up this object 
with his 3-inch refractor, but without success. “With 
good eye-sight and a clear atmosphere I have failed to 
find the slightest trace of the nebula on all occasions. I have no 
hesitation, therefore, in saying that in instruments of 3-inch aper- 
ture and under, the object is utterly invisible. I beg somemember 
of the society to search for this object with larger instruments, so 
that the question as to its actual disappearance may be beyond 
dispute. It is important that this question should be set at rest 
at once, because in the event of the nebula brightening we should 
certainly regret not having decisively established the fact of its 
disappearance. 
DUBLIN 
Royal Irish Academy, June 12.—The Rev. President Jellett 
in the chair. Profs. Sullivan and O‘Reilly read ‘‘ Notes on the 
Great Dolomite Bed of the North of Spain in connection with the 
Tithonic Stage of Prof. Opel.” (This paper was erroneously re- 
ferred to as read on the 22nd of May, vide azée, p. 136, where for 
“Opal” read ‘‘ Prof. Opel.”’)—-Dr. Sigerson read some additions 
to the ‘‘ Flora of Botanical District No. 10 (Ireland),” and on an 
anomalous form of the Corolla of Erica.— Bryan O‘Looney read 
““Notes on Lebor na h-Uidhri,”” and G, J. Stoney and J. E. 
Reynolds read a paper on the ‘‘ Absorption Spectrum of Chloro- 


chromicacid.”” The following were elected members :—W. A. 
T. Amhurst, D.L. Norfolk, Captain R. Cooper, Rugby, Whitley 
Stokes, Calcutta, and Colonel Tyrrell, J.P., Londonderry. 
June 26.—Rey. President Jellett in the chair. Dr. Sigerson 
read ‘‘ Note on the Remains of Fish in the Alluvial Clay of the 
River Foyle.”—Rev. Dr. Reeves read a paper on the ‘‘ Topo- 
graphy of the Countyjof Armagh.”—Mr. G. J. Stoney, F.R.S., 
read ‘‘ Notes ona New Form of Spectroscope.”—Mr. W. H. 
Hennessy read a paper on the ‘‘ Tale of the Brudin Da Derga 
contained in the Lebor na h-Uidhri,” and Dr. Hayden read 
““Notes on the Respiration of Compressed Air.” 
Paris 
Academie des Sciences, Sept. 18.—M. Faye in the chair, 
It was stated that the total amount of money in the hands of M. 
Janssen for the scientific expedition to Sumatra to observe the 
solar eclipse in December next will reach to 1,580/.—Several 
gentlemen sent letters describing the earthquake which was felt 
in Burgundy on the 9th of September, 7.45 a.M. At Tranant a 
number of fences which were piled together were overthrown in 
a straight line, making a deviation of 27° W. from the magnetic 
needle.—M. Combary, director of the Constantinople observa- 
tory, sent a note to describe the extraordinary cold felt in last 
May. In Yorkshire it was felt on the 12 h, at Paris on the 15th, 
at Constantinople on the 18th. The periurbation, which la-ted 
for some days, was felt also in Arabia, where the torrid 
deserts were affected by cold.—M. Leverrier read a letter from - 
Barceloneta describing the observations, which were made with 
more care than anywhere else in France, ;on the falling stars of 
the Novemb-r display of 1869 and 1870,—Several communica- 
tions were made relating to analogies exhibited by spectra of 
different subs ances belonging to the same family of chemical 
substances.~—-M. Delaunay read a note on the discovery of a new 
planet observed mm the Marseilles Observatory by M. Borelly on 
the 12th of September, 1871. Itisthe 116th, and is to be called 
Lomia. M. Borelly had discovered already the gist, 99th, and 
11oth, and has given to them respectively the following names : 
Egine, Dike, and Lydia.—Communications relating to the 
cholera were three in number, and were all sent to the committee 
for the Bréaut prize, which is a sum of 4,000/,—A table placed 
before the chair was covered with samples of rocks extracted 
from Mont Cenis Tunnel, and arranged in a systematic collection, 
which will be exhibited in the museum of the School of Mines. 
M. Elie de Beaumont, the perpetual {secretary, read a very 
long paper on the instruction conveyed by this collection, the 
most important portions of which will be found reported in 
another column, 


BOOKS RECEIVED 
EnGuisH.—Experimeatal Mechanics R. S. Ball (Macmillan and Co.).— 
The Lichen Flora of Great Britain: Rev. W. A. Leighton (Shrewsbury, 
printed for the Author).— Miscellanies of John A. Symonds, M D : Edited 
by his Son (Bristol, J. Arrowsmith).—The So dier’s Pocket-book for Field 
Service: Col. Sic G J, Wolse'ey (Macmillan and Wo ). 
ForeiGn.—Archiy fiir Anthropologie, 4er Band. 


CONTENTS PaGE 
EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS. . . . + « - ss e « « 42 
Our BooK SHEER Treg: syst 3) = cep aioirae) fe) oe) ant te 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR :— 
Phenomena of Contact. —Prof. Simon Newcomp . ... . « 423 
Solar Parallax-—R-A) Procror, F;R-A\S: = 5.2 2 eee 424 
Elementary Geometry—R. WoRMELL . . ...... 425 
Deschanel's. “Heat” We... 2G 20) cise ee) ere, Reena 
Newspaper Science.—ALFrep W. BenneTT, F.L.S. . . . . . 425 
Ice Freas. By Prof. E. FRANKLAND, F.R.S. . . . . . + « » 426 
REMARKS ON PrRor. WiLtiaMson’s NEw CLASSIFICATION OF THE 
VASCULAR CrypTOGAMS. By Dr. W.R. M‘Nap..... . 426 
A New Dynameter. By Rey. T. W. Wepp,F.R.A.S. . . .. 427 
Tue New Ganoip Fisu (CERATODUS) RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN 
QugENSLAND.—No. II. By Dr. A. GunTHER, F.RS. . . 2 « 428 
METEOROLOGY IN AmeERICA: Self-registering Instruments (With 
Tilustrationss)\ Se FORE. SS ie a eae 
THE INTERNATIONAL EXxHiBITION AT VIENNA FOR 1873 434 
Screntiric Usr or THE Mont Cents TunneL . . . 1. . « 434 
NOTES! selec) Yo) oi) 5) oe Paper Reo hs =o Sie cere krcieey Meee, Sienna 
On THE Stupy oF Scrence IN Scxoots. By G. F. Ropwett, F.C.S. 437 
Screntiric SERIALS . oh Casey Com OM eT Oat 1G. LEO 
SocIRTIES|/ANDYACADEMIHSM > ©.  <) % «) leis) on oie el ta Dig 
BOOKS SRECHIVED). 0 / ts Mee ciel Yo Ne. isl @ ke Mase Sane RS 440 
[ Sepé. 28, 1871 
