424 



NA TURE 



[March 2, 1899 



tains a large amount of new information, and the whole work 

 has been thoroughly revised.— In the new form in which Messrs. 

 Henry Molt and Co. have published the fifth edition of Prof. 

 Newell Martin's clearly-written work on " The Human Body," 

 the book will probably meet with increased success. The work 

 has been revised by Dr. Oeorge \V. Fitz, and several chapters 

 have been rewritten. The directions for demonstrations and 

 experiments has been greatly enlarged and collected in an 

 appendix. Many new illustrations have also been included. 

 The volume is now published in the American Science Series, 

 and it makes a text-book of convenient size on anatomy, 

 physiology, and hygiene. — .\ fifth edition of .Marshall and 

 Hurst's well-known and widely used "Junior Course of Prac- 

 tical Zoology," revised by Mr. F. VV. Gamble, has been pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co. The plan of the work 

 has not been changed, but the chapters on technique have been 

 recast, and a few alterations and additions have been made. 



Our knowledge of the molecular weights of inorganic sub- 

 stances is in great part derived from the classical researches 

 of Victor Meyer and his pupils on vapour densities at very 

 high temperatures. .\ few determinations of the molecular 

 weights of inorganic salts have also been made by the boil- 

 ing-point method, the most interesting conclusion obtained in 

 this way being that cuprous chloride and bromide are repre- 

 sented by the .simple formula; CuCl and CuBr. In the current 

 number of the Caz~elta Chimica Italiana the problem is 

 attacked by N. Castoro by the cryoscopic method. A satis- 

 factory solvent was found in urethane, in which a considerable 

 number of inorganic substances can be dissolved. The lowering 

 of the melting point was determined for silver nitrate and the 

 chlorides of mercury, cobalt, copper, cadmium, zinc, tin, and 

 manganese. Of these, cupric and cobalt chlorides had the 

 double formuUt CU.JCI4 and Co.jClj quite clearly marked ; 

 manganese chloride showed some tendency to the formation of 

 double molecules ; whilst the remaining .salts gave figures closely 

 agreeing with those calculated on the assumption of the simple 

 formulae. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Long-tailed Marmot (Antoniys caiidaliis) 

 from (iilghit, presented by Mr. .■\. H. McMahon ; a Rough- 

 legged Buzzard (Archihuleo lagopus), European ; a Virginian 

 Eagle Owl (Bubo vir^inianiis) from North America, presented 

 by the Hon. Walter Rothschild, M.P. ; two Common Herons 

 {Ardea cinerea), European, presented by Mr. F. G. Bridgman ; 

 a Pale-headed Parrakeet {Plalycercus pallidiceps), a Rose Hill 

 Parrakeel (I'hilycerciis e.ximiiis) from Australia, presented by 

 Mr. \V. F. Clayton ; a Cockateel {Catopsillacus novac-liol- 

 landiae) from .'Xu.stralia, presented by Mr. Edward Hawkins ; a 

 Camboyan Turtle Dove ( Ttirtur senegalensis) from Africa, pre- 

 sented by Mr. U. Seth-Smith ; a Common Paradoxure [J'ara- 

 doxurus nigcr) from India, presented by Mr. W. O. Sheppard ; 

 a Brazilian Tortoise ( Tesludo labulala) from South America, 

 presented by Mr. John Gordon ; a Great I^agle Owl [Bubo 

 maximus), European; two Black-backed Piping Crows (Gym- 

 norhitia libiceu), four Liughing Kingfishers (Z)ac«/o giganlfa), two 

 Black Swans (Cygnus alratus) from Australia, deposited ; two 

 Yellow Conures (Conunis solslitialis) from Guiana, purchased. 



OUR ASTROXOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Astronomical Occurrences in M.-\rch :— 

 March 3. I2h. 21m. Minimum of Algol (fl Persei). 



3. I3h. 5m. to I4h. 2in. Occultalion of the star 



B. A C. 5254 (ni.ig. 5'4) by the moon. 

 6. gh. lom. Minimum of Algol (5 Persei). 



NO. 1531, VOL. 59] 



March 15. Venus. Illuminated portion of disc 0644. 

 Apparent diameter iS"'2. 

 Mars. Illuminated portion of disc 0922. 



Apparent diameter 9" 7. 

 Jupiter. Apparent Polar diameter 38" 9. 

 16. Saturn. ,, ,, 15-4. 



Outer minor axis of outer ring 1 7 '34. 

 20. 5h. 32m. to 6h. 50m. Occultation of 56 Geminorum 



(mag. 5) by the moon. 

 20. Sh. 50m. to gh. 59m. Occultation of 61 Geminorum 



(mag. 57) by the moon. 

 20. 8h. Sun enters Aries. Spring commences. 

 24. 9h. 48m. to toh. 47m. Transit of Jupiter's Sat. 

 III. 



24. I ih. Mercury at greatest elongation, 18° 36' East. 



25. i6h. 52ni. to I7h. 45m. Occultation of e Leonis 



(mag. 51) by the moon. 



26. loh. 52m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 



27. loh. to loh. 56m. Occultation of DM - 10', 



3570 (mag. 6) by the moon. 



28. 9h. 57m. to loh. 49m. Occultation of 83 Virginis 



(mag. 58) by the moon. 



30. iih. 59m. to I2h. 40m. Occultation of DM - 22°, 



3989 (mag. 6) by the moon. 



31. I3h. iim. to i4h. lom. Transit of Jupiter's Sat. 



III. 

 Mercury will be very favourably displayed as an evening star 

 from about March 17 to 27. The times of his setting and the 

 intervals by which he follows sunset are as under :^ 



\ 



New NEKti.i;. — We learn from Hanar.t College Observatory 

 Circular, No. 38, that Dr. De Lisle Stewart, who is in charge 

 of the Bruce photographic telescope, has found recently an 

 interesting group of nebuhv, hitherto unknown, on plates takei> 

 October 14 and October 20, 1898. 



Comparison examinations of both plates show the presence 

 on each of forty-six objects, which are given in a table showing 

 their coordinates and a short description of each. The group is 

 situated within the limits of right ascension 3h. lom. to 3h. 50m 

 (1900), and declination - 49° 50' to - 53" 40' (1900). 



Of the whole group only two are identical with the nebula; 

 given in Dreyer's New General Catalogue, viz. N.G.C. 131I 

 and N.fl.C 1356. Four of the new nebul.v appear to be 

 distinctly spiral. One is described as having a " bright 

 elongated centre, and others as faint nebulous wisps in ellipses or 

 spirals." Three are nebulous stars surrounded by nebulosity. 



Nebui.osiiies oi' THE Pl.El.\nES.— For .several years there 

 has been some controversy between various authorities as to the 

 real or spurious nature of certain wisp-like forms which are 

 obtained on plates exposed on the region surrounding this star 

 cluster. Prof. Barnard maintains that the appearances are due to 

 real nebulosity, and supports his case by showing identical forms 

 on various plates taken with widely different lenses and with 

 varying exposures ; while Dr. Roberts, who cannot find these 

 markings on his plates, altriLules them to .surface markings due 

 to sky glare or defects of the plates. Mr. H. C. Wilson, of 

 Goodsell Observatory, Minn., supports Prof. Barnard's case by 

 an article in Vopular Astronomy, vol. vii. No. 2 February), 

 which he illustrates with three photographs of the region 

 taken by himself. Two of these were taken with a camera of 

 about 36 inches equivalent focus, the objective being a quad- 

 ruplet six inches in diameter. One of the plates was taken in 

 October 1894, with an exposure of lih. 15m., the other 

 in Novemlwr 1898, with an exposure of 5h. 35m. The regions 

 of nebulosity to which he draws attention are quite easily seen 

 on the reproduction, lying chiefly to the north-ea.st of the star 

 cluster, and the boundaries of the hazy m,asses are exactly 



