78 



NA rURE 



[November 24, 1898 



On Keeping Marine Organisms Alive in Small 

 Aquaria, 



In NATlREof Noveml)er io(p. 44), a contrivance isnieniioned 

 by the use of which the sea-water in a small aquarium can be 

 kept in motion. The same kind of apparatus has been em- 

 ployed during the winter 1897-98 in Kiel, for keeping Peridinea 

 and Diatoms of the Plankton in a healthy condition. Prof. Geo. 

 Karsten has described the apparatus used in the IVissenschaft. 

 Miercsuntersiich. dcr Kommiss. s. wissenschaft. Untersuch. d. 

 dtutsch. Mare in A'iel und der Biolog. Anstall a. Helgoland, 

 vol. iii. part 2, March 189S, p. 8. In this case a clinostat- 

 clockwork was used, and the plunger rose five times in three 

 minutes. The bell-jar, serving as an aquarium, was very small, 

 holding about I '5 litre. Ceratium and Skeletonema got on very 

 well, the same plants dying off rapidly on being kept in water 

 at rest. Otio \'. Dakhishire. 



Owens College, Manchester. 



THE NOVEMBER LEONIDS OF 1898. 



A7ERY unfavourable weather was experienced all over 

 * the country at the middle of November, and the 

 return of the Leonid meteors was very scantily observed. 

 At many stations no observations whatever were possible 

 between November 13 and 16, while at other places only 

 one of these'Viights was partially clear. ."Xs a result of 

 the bad atmospheric conditions, very few meteors have 

 been recorded. But it seems certain, from a comparison 

 of the fragmentary observations obtained at variotis places, 

 that, apart from the unfavourableinfluence of the weather, 

 the meteoric shower did not nearly answer expect- 

 ation. In fact, the number of meteors visible appears to 

 have scarcely exceeded tlie average nuinber that may be 

 counted on an ordinary mid-November night. It is 

 true that the observations did not cover the whole of 

 the three nights of November 14, 15 and 16, and were, 

 inoreover, effected in mcst cases under circumstances 

 little calculated to ensure successful results. But making 

 every allowance for the difficulties encountered, the feeble 

 character of the shower is still significant, and proves that 

 the earth in recently crossing the node of Tempel's comet 

 of 1866, did not encounter the denser part of the meteoric 

 stream, but a very attenuated region far in advance of 

 the associated comet. Indeed, the recent display appears 

 to have been scarcely richer than those of 1S79 and 1888, 

 when the comet was not a great distance from its aphelion. 

 Of course, the real shower may have occurred in the day- 

 time, but it would scarcely escape recognition in .\merica 

 or some other distant part, for observers all over the 

 world arc keenly alive to the attractions and the import- 

 ance of the Leonid display, and have been on the alert to 

 witness it. 



Descriptions of the recent shower from the United 

 States are not dissimilar to those from our own country. 

 Of course, we cannot rely upon the exaggerated state- 

 ments published in some of the American newspapers, 

 or sent home by the .New \o\V. correspondents of cer- 

 tain Knglish journals. One of the latter, writing on 

 November 15, says: ".Vstronomers throughout the 

 United States watched the shower of Leonid meteors, 

 which appeared between midnight and five o'clock this 

 morning. .Many of the meteors made brilliant flashes 

 across the sky, and left fierv trains. One meteor in 

 Orion lit up the entire < ity of New York at about one 

 o'clock in the morning, and fell hissing, the sound indi- 

 cating its close proximity." More trustworthy accounts 

 from astronomical observers at the Lick Observatory, 

 Mount Hamilton, the Princeton Observatory, and others 

 at Richmond, X'irginia, agree that the late display was 

 a disappointing one, the meteors seen being neither 

 numerous nor brilliant. 



With regard to observations made in this country, the 

 writer has received reports from London, Oxford, Brid- 

 port, Xeovil. Cardiff, Chester, Loughton (E>sexl, Ciren- 

 NO. 151 7, VOL. 59] 



cester. Stone (Staffs.), Leeds, Southport, Belfast, Dum- 

 fries, and several other places. .A few quotations from 

 these may perhaps be interesting : — 



Belfast. — .A watch was maintained on November 12 to 

 ijh. 30m., but no Leonids observed. On the following 

 night (13th}, to the same time, si.x meteors were recorded, 

 and of these three may have been Leonids. On 

 November 14, the sky was overcast to i6h. 40m. ; then 

 it partly cleared : but there w^as a good deal of mist, andg 

 the stars shone very dimly. Between i6h. 40m. 

 I7h. 15m. the observer saw ten fine Leonids ; but the! 

 sky became cloudy again, and observations were discon-j 

 tinued. The shower was regarded as a fairly strong one 

 under the conditions, and the maximum appeared to be 

 at about i7h.— \V. H. Milligan. 



Soiithpprt. — Observations were made at the Meteor- 

 ological Observatory on November 14, i3h. 301TI. to 

 I7h. 30m., and the following were the hourly number of 

 meteors (nearly all Leonids) noticed by one observer: — 



h. m. h. m. 



13 30 to 14 30 = 15 meteors. 



14 30 to 15 30 = 10 



15 30 to 16 30 = 3 „ 



16 30 to 17 30 = 2 ,, 



The meteors were small, not one being brighter than a 

 ist mag. star. The scarcity of meteors, only five being 

 seen between i^h. 30m. and i7h. 30m., is remarkable. — J. 

 Baxendale. 



Yeovil. — On November 14 the sky was clear, but only 

 two or three nteteors were remarked in the two hours 

 between I3h. and ijh. -Rev. T. E. R. Phillips. 



Cirencesler.—\< t^\.\\tx clear during the whole night of 

 November 14, and only a little fog at low altitudes. Ob- 

 servations were made from a window facing E., between 

 I ih. 45m. and i2h. 50m., but no meteors were seen. The 

 sky seemed unaccountably light. — Miss E. Brown. 



Giiteshead. — On November 13, between loh. and I jh., 

 the atmosphere was favourable, and observations were 

 made at short intervals, but no meteors were seen. — 

 Dr. A. W. Blacklock {English Mcc/ianic). 



Northants.-On November 14, from midnight to ijh.,. 

 a watch was kept with results almost ///"/. The sky was, 

 however, partially veiled with clouds through which only 

 a few stars could be seen. There was a very brilliant 

 meteoric flash at i3h. 55m.— F. H. Wright (/f//^'//>A- 

 Mechanic). 



Bristol. — On November 12 the clouds passed off at 

 Ijh., and the sky was watched intermittently until \^\\. 

 Only seven meteors were seen. There was no sign of 

 radiation from Leo. .\\, i6h. 4m. the sky was illuminated, 

 probably by the outburst of a large meteor in a region of 

 the heavens hidden to the observer. The nights of 

 November 13 to 19 were all overcast, and no observations, 

 could be obtained.— W. F. D. 



Chester. —On November 16, between loh. and I3h., 

 six plates were exposed for 3oni. each, but no meteor 

 trails were secured. The meteors appeared to be scarcer 

 than on any ordinary night. At I2h. 8m. a Leonid of 

 the apparent brightness of Mars was seen, and with the 

 exception of a small, swift Perseid nothing else was 

 recorded. — F. W. Longbottom. 



The remainder of the reports are stories of failure in 

 consequence of the weather. .At many places a series of 

 dense fogs occurred just at the important time. In spite 

 of these drawbacks, however, the fact remains that at 

 certain stations on November 15 a clear sky invited- 

 observation, but presented very few meteors It is true 

 that Mr. Milligan saw some brilliant ones in the hazy sky 

 of November 14, i^h. 30m. to I7h. 15m., and that the 

 observed maximuui of the "shower" seems to have 

 occurred at nearly the same time as Inst year. But the 

 phenomenon, so far as it was observed, was quite of 

 minor character, and observers who siw nothing, what- 



