84 
anticipated by its opponents : museums, galleries, and 
libraries have been open on Sundays in thirteen towns for 
some years, with such success that the only opposition in those 
towns is one which does not show itself in public. The town 
of Oldham is now trying the experiment of Sunday opening for 
four Sundays, to-morrow being the second Sunday; and Sir 
Henry had a letter from the Mayor of that important northern 
town, stating that on last Sunday crowds of well-behaved per- 
sons passed through the gallery, and that he is satisfied of the 
importance and good influence of the movement. Sir Henry 
concluded :—‘‘ We challenge the Sabbatarian party to be true to 
their own opinions, as we are to ours. We ask for more of 
what we say has been a blessing. They refuse their assent on 
the plea that Sunday opening fer se is a curse. They show by 
their actions that they are only half believers in their own state- 
ments. We challenge them to take a vote on the direct ques- 
tion as to whether those museums and galleries now open 
should remain open or not.” The meeting authorised the 
Committee of the Society to send a memorial to H.R.H. the 
Prince of Wales, requesting that in the interest of the com- 
munity the Colonial and Indian Exhibition should be opened on 
a few Sundays by free tickets. 
Mr. EDGAR CROOKSHANK writes, with reference to our article 
on the Royal Society sozrée last week, to say that by a slip the 
exhibition of micro-photographs and preparations of Bacteria 
were assigned to his friend Mr. Cheshire. The collection of 
photographs was exhibited by request, and represent many 
months’ work in endeavouring to overcome the difficulties of | 
obtaining satisfactory results with the use of high powers 
(1-25th, 1-18th, and 1-12th, 0.1.). In many cases of preparations 
of Bacteria, such as cover-glass freparations, and especially the 
so-called zmpression-preparations, and particularly where there is 
much detail, Mr. Crookshank maintains that photography is the 
only satisfactory means for obtaining an accurate picture. In such 
cases photography excels in affording us absolute faithfulness. 
THE hybrid trout reared at the South Kensington Aquarium 
from the ova of the sea-trout, .S. “wa, impregnated with the 
milt of the common trout, .S. favo, in December last, show un-_ 
mistakable signs of hardihood. Comment has been made pre- 
viously in this journal upon the subject, as the facts adduced 
evidence the capacity of Salmonidz to give-ova without descend- 
ing to the sea. There has been a much less percentage of 
mortality not only amongst the ova but the fry. At the present 
time they are located in a special pond at the Delaford Park 
Fishery belonging to the National Fish Culmre Association, 
where they continue to thrive exceedingly well. They were 
encouraged to feed after losing their sac sooner than other 
species of fry ; and without exception are growing rapidly. 
ON Saturday last 12,000 Severn salmon fry were turned into 
the River Dee. 
Board, and hatched out by the National Fish Culture Associa- 
tion. A large number of the same species will be deposited 
this week in the Severn, having been reared at South Kensington 
for this purpose. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Rhesus Monkey (J/acacus rhesus) from 
India, presented by Capt. Boyle; ‘two Squirrel Monkeys 
(Chrysothrix sciurea) from Brazil, presented by Mr. George 
Liddell ; a Pig-tailed Monkey (A/acacus nemestrinus) from Java, 
presented by Mrs. F. E. A. Prince; three Speckled Terrapins 
(Clemmys guttata), seven Painted Terrapins (Clemmys ficta), a 
Sculptured Terrapin (Clemmys insculpta), eleven Striped Snakes 
(Tropidonotus sirtalis), three Ribbon Snakes (Zropidonotus 
saurita), seven Dekays Snakes (/schnognathus dekayi), four 
Grass Snakes (Cyclophis vernalis) from North America, pre- 
sented by Mr. Samuel Garman, C.M.Z.S.; three Spanish 
Terrapins (Clemmys Jleprosa), European, presented by Mr. ! R.A. rth. 55m., Decl. 8° 55’ N. 
The ova were spawned by the Severn Fishery } 
NATURE 
| of triangulation. 
[Aay 27, 1886 
Cuthbert Johnson; a Quail (Coturnix communis), European, 
presented by Mr. Kenneth Lawson ; four Menobranchs (A/eno- 
branchus lateralis) from North America, presented by Prof, 
Ramsay Wright ; two Wild Ducks (Aas doschas), British, pre- 
sented by Mr. G. Edison; a Common Viper (Viera berus)> 
British, presented by Mr. Percy E. Coombe; a Macaque 
Monkey (Macacus cynomolgus) from India, deposited; two 
Spotted Hyzenas (Hyena crocuta) from South Africa, two Ruffs 
(Machetes pugnax), three Viperine Snakes ( 7ropidonotus viper- 
inus), European, two Lion Marmosets (A/idas rosalia), a Spotted 
Cavy (Celogenys paca), two Ariel Toucans (Ramphastos ariel). 
two Crested Curassows (Crax alector), a Zenaida Dove (Zenatda 
amadilis) from Brazil, purchased ; four Bernicle Geese (Bernicla 
iucopsis), European, received in exchange; a Gayal (Bibos 
frontalis), an African Wild Ass (Zguus teniopus), a Japanese 
Deer (Cervus sika), born in the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THE HELIOMETER OF THE YALE COLLEGE OBSERVATORY. 
—From Dr. Elkin’s report of the work done during the year 
ending June 1, 1885, we learn that the principal object of re- 
search has been the triangulation of the Pleiades, to which work 
the heliometer was devoted from September 1884 to March 1885. 
It was originally intended to confine the investigation to the 
stars measured at Konigsberg and to carry out only one method 
The scheme has been extended, however, to 
include all the stars in the Bonn Durchmusterung, within certain 
limits, down to magnitude 9°2, making sixty-nine stars in all, 
and also to obtain a determination of the relative positions of 
the stars which should be strictly comparable with the Konigs-- 
berg work, viz. measurement of distances and angles of position 
of the stars from Alcyone. The observations have all been 
reduced provisionally ; the final reduction cannot be undertaken 
until the results of the meridian observations of the end stars 
of two zones serving to determine the scale value and zero of 
| position have been received from the observatories which have 
consented to make them. Measures of the moon from neigh- 
bouring stars have also been made on thirty-six nights near the 
first and last quarters, and the diameter of the moon has been 
measured at opposition on seven occasions. Observations have 
also been made of the diameter of Venus, the outer ring of 
Saturn, and of Titan referred to its primary. It is now proposed 
to devote the heliometer to systematic investigations in stellar 
parallax, and, judging from the results which have been obtained 
by Gill and Elkin at the Cape, we may expect that most valu- 
able work will be done in this direction with the heliometer at 
Yale College also. 
ECLrpsE OF JUPITER’S FouRTH SATELLITE.—Mr. Marth 
pointed out some two years ago, in a paper read before the 
Royal Astronomical Society (A/enth/y Notices, vol. xliv. p. 241), 
the importance of observing those eclipses of the fourth satellite 
of Jupiter which commence or end a series, in order to obtain 
data for correcting the tables. A slight error in latitude shows 
itself very strikingly on such occasions in the duration of the 
eclipse. Such observations are unfortunately very rare, the 
Greenwich eclipse observations from 1836 to 1883 not affording 
a single instance of an observation which will assist in correcting 
the latitude. Mr. John Tebbutt, Windsor, New South Wales, 
noticing that two of the last eclipses of the cycle just closed 
were visible in New South Wales, drew attention to these facts 
in the Sydney Morning Herald for March 27. We learn from a 
communication in the number for April 1 of the same paper that 
Mr. Tebbutt was successful in his own observations of the phe- 
nomenon. The disappearance of the satellite took place at 
14h. 38m. 34s. Windsor mean time, or 15m. 43s. defore the 
time given in the Wautical Almanac. The reappearance, on the 
contrary, was 8m. 55s. /a¢e, the duration thus being 244m. 
longer than the predicted time. Mr. Russell, at Sydney, noted 
that the satellite had already disappeared when he began to 
observe, quite six minutes before Mr. Tebbutt lost sight of it. 
Mr. Tebbutt was convinced, however, of the accuracy of his 
now observation. 
A New Comet.—Mr. W. H. Brooks, Red House Observa- 
tory, Phelps, New York, discovered a bright comet on May 23, 
15h. Greenwich mean time. Its position was as follows :— 
