January 26, 1899] 



NA TURE 



The annual report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 

 €nding June 1896 has been received. It is well known that 

 the value of Smithsonian Reports lies not so much in the 

 account of the operations and conditions of the Smithsonian 

 Institution as in the collection of papers on various scientific 

 subjects, included in the appendix. The report of the Secretary 

 on the work of the Institution is published many months in 

 advance of the volume containing it and the appendix referred 

 to. In the present volume this report, and general adminis- 

 trative affairs, occupy only 77 pages, while the appendix, 

 containing a selection of papers (some of them original), 

 embracing a wide range of scientific investigation and dis- 

 cussion, occupies more than six hundred pages. These pages 

 consist of addresses delivered at scientific meetings, and upon 

 other occasions, reprints and translations of contributions to 

 scientific periodicals, and reports on some investigations carried 

 on under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. There 

 are thirty memoirs of this kind in the present report, and 

 together they form a most interesting statement of work and 

 progress in many branches of science. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Arabian Baboons (Cynocephalus haina- 

 dryas, i ? ) from Arabia, presented by Dr. H. O. Forbes and 

 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant ; a Rhesus Monkey (Macacus 

 rhesus, ? ), a Macaque Monkey (Macacus cynomolgus, i ) from 

 India, presented by Mr. P. de Loriol ; a Patas Monkey (Cerco- 

 fitlieciis patas, i) from West Africa, presented by Mr. C. H. 

 Wimpress ; a Black-backed Jackal (Canis niesomelas) from 

 South Africa, presented by Mr. Fraser ; a Nankeen Night 

 Heron (Nycticorax (aledoiiicus) from Australia, presented by 

 Mr. John Brinsmead ; two Diamond Pythons [Python spilotes) 

 from Austraha, presented by Mr. S. A. Michels ; a (jrey 

 Lemur (Hapalennii- grisciis) from Madagascar, an Argali Sheep 

 (Ovis amnion, i) from the Altai Mountains, deposited; four 

 Ruddy-headed Geese ( Chloephaga ruhidkeps), bred in Holland, 

 purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Comet Chase. — The following ephemeris for Comet Chase 

 will be found serviceable by those who wish to observe this 

 object. It has been calculated by Herr T- Mriller, and is as 

 follows : — 



Berlin Midnight. 

 1 299- R.A. (app.). Dec, (app.). 



The brightness of the comet is about the same as at the time 

 of discovery. 



New Variable Star in Anhromeda.— Dr. T. D. Ander- 

 son announces {Astr. AWhr., No. 3539) a new variable star in 

 Andromeda, the approximate position of which for 1S55 is 

 h, m. s,. 



R.A. 2 8 23 ... Dec. 4-43 37'S 



Using for comparison stars BD + 43°-457, 460 and 462, and 

 estimating their respective magnitudes as 9-2, 8 '8 and 97, he 

 found the following values for the magnitude of this variable :— 



189S Dec. 



1899 Jan. 



Mag. 



The s:ar has thus rapidly decreased six-tenths of a magnitude 

 in this short period, and it will be interesting to follow the 

 variaii'in further. 



NO. 1526, VOL. 59] 



Witt's Planet (433) Di;).— The recent H.irran/ College 

 Observatory Circular (No. 36) gives an account, with the 

 results, of a search for the planet Witt among some negatives of 

 star regions taken at that observatory. With the help of Mr. 

 Chandler, who furnished an ephemeris based on the best 

 material, Mrs. Fleming undertook the examination of the 

 plates for the year 1894 ; but in the first instance, although the 

 latter examined a region covering 1300 square degrees, the 

 planet was not found. The next search was made upon the 

 plates taken in 1896, as the errors of the ephemeris would not 

 then be so great, and might possibly compensate for the extreme 

 faintness of the planet. The result of this search was that at 

 last a faint image was found on a plate taken on June 5, 1S96, 

 and this was confirmed on plates exposed on June 5 and 6. 



From these positions the ephemeris was corrected, and posi- 

 tions for 1894 computed. A further examination by Mrs. 

 Fleming brought to light impressions of the planet on several 

 other plates taken in 1894 and 1893, In addition to the posi- 

 tions of the planet at the times each of these photographs 

 was obtained. Prof. Pickering publishes in the present Circular 

 an ephemeris from 1893 October 27 to 1894 April 21, computed 

 by Mr. Chandler from a combination of the observations of 

 1898, and the photographs taken on December 19 and 27, 

 1S93; February 16, 1894; April 6, 1896 ; and June 4 and 5, 

 1S96. 



The elements calculated by Mr. Chandler from such a com- 

 bination of positions are the following : — 



Elements. 

 Epoch 1898, August 31-5 G.M.T. 



1898-0 



It may be mentioned that further images of the planet have 

 been found on plates taken in November 26, December 23, 1893, 

 and in January 19, 25, 30, and February 5 of the following year. 



On a previous occasion in this column (December i, 1898, 

 p. 108) we drew attention to a suggestion by Prof. Chandler, 

 who gave his reasons why Pluto would be an appropriate name for 

 this new planet. In the .4stro)iomische Nachrichten (No. 3539), 

 Dr. G. Witt, the discoverer of the planet, proposes to call it 

 by the name Eros, hoping that this will be found suitable 

 for such an important little body. 



The Hamiiurc; Observatory. — Prof. F. Kiistner, the 

 director of the observatory at Bonn, has been appointed to take 

 over the directorship of the Hamburg Observatory, in succession 

 to Prof. G. Riimker, who has, we are sorry to say, retired owing 

 to prolonged illness. 



The Leonids in 1898. — Several additional accounts of the 

 observations of the Leonids at different stations are published 

 in the .Astronomischc Nachrichten (No. 3538). Those made at 

 Vienna and Pola seem of special interest. In Vienna the three 

 nights of the 13th, 14th and 15th were useless for observation ; 

 but Dr. Palisa, with Herr J. Rheden, ascended the " Semmef- 

 ing," and were fortunate in having clear weather after ncidnight 

 on the night of the 13th. Between 3h. and 5h. 30m. twenty-two 

 meteors were seen, thirteen of which were Leonids, but all below 

 the second magniiude. On the evening of the 14th, Prof. E. 

 Weiss also .ascended to this point, taking with him two photo- 

 graphic cameras. Between 3h. 15m. and 5h. 45m. about 250 

 meteors were seen, two-thirds of which were estimated as 

 Leonids, and .several brighter than ^'enus. On the phoiographic 

 plates six trails were recorded, one of which belonged to an in- 

 teresting meteor which was observed to be as bright as Jupiter, 

 and came from the radiant R..'^. 153° -(- 23". On the night of the 

 15th, Dr. Palisa and Herr Rheden, observing from the same 

 station between loh. 45m. p.m. and 2h. 30m. a.m., saw filly 

 meteors, many of which were very bright, but only about 

 twenty-five of them Leonids These observations indicate that 

 the forerunners of the swarm reached the earth in the night of 

 the I3th-I4th, the maximum being reached probably during the 

 day of the 15th. Prof. Weiss adds that the passage through 

 these meteors lasted for more than twenty-four hours, suggesting 



