556 
NATURE 
[ Oct. 7, 1886 
O. Struve, who has persevered so assiduously in the observations 
of artificial stars initiated by W. Struve. M. Bigourdan 
shows, however, that by this method it is not possible to eli- 
minate the errors due to the instrument itself, and especially to 
the object-glass. But it is M. Bigourdan’s opinion that it is 
difficult, if not impossible, to avoid the employment of arti- 
ficial stars in determining personal equation in measures of 
double stars, and he has accordingly devised an apparatus, 
which he describes as simple and of moderate cost, by means 
of which observations of artificial stars can be made at any time, 
and which he considers to be free from the objections which 
have been urged against Struve’s method. In this apparatus 
the plate pierced with holes which form the images of the 
‘* stars” and the viewing lenses, are carried by one tube which 
is movable round a horizontal axis, so as to vary the inclination 
of the eyes with respect to the horizon ; the pierced plate rotating 
in its own plane so as to vary the angles of position of the arti- 
ficial coupler. M. Bigourdan gives in the Thesis a great 
number of measures made with this instrument, deduces a 
formula for his personal equation in position-angle, and shows 
how the application of the corrections deduced from it improves 
the observations. 
PUBLICATION DER ASTRONOMISCHEN GESELLSCHAFT, No. 
XVIII.—This is a paper by Herr Romberg, of Pulkowa, con- 
taining the approximate positions of stars whose places (chiefly 
as comparison-stars for observations of planets and comets) are 
given in vols. Ixvii. to cxii. of the Astronomische Nachrichten, 
arranged in order of right ascension and reduced to the epoch 
1855. This work is a continuation of a similar one executed 
by Schjellerup for vols. i. to Ixvi. of the sane periodical, form- 
ing No. VIII. of this series of publications, and is similar in 
form to it. The right ascensions are given to seconds of time, 
and the declinations to tenths of a minute of arc, and Herr 
Romberg expresses a hope that his Catalogue may be useful not 
only as an inlex to such a large number of observations of 
stellar positions, but also as a groundwork for accurate deter- 
minations of the star-places. The total number of stars in the 
Catalogue is about 8000, the great majority of them being fainter 
than the seventh magnitude. 
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 
WEEK 1886 OCTOBER 10-16 
( {OR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 
Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 
is here employed. ) 
At Greenwich on October 10 
Sun rises, 6h. 17m. ; souths, rrh. 47m. 1°63.; sets, 17h. 17m. ; 
decl. on meridian, 6° 43’ S.: Sidereal Time at Sunset, 
18h. 34m. 
Moon (Full on October 13) rises, 16h. 37m. ; souths, 22h. 19m. ; 
sets, 4h. 11m.” ; decl. on meridian, 4° 7’ S. 
Planet Rises Souths Sets Decl. on meridian 
h. m. h. m. m. Lr 
Mercury bh abl 12 20 17 33 9) 579: 
Venus ... 4 56 iii) (6) 17) ea ‘OAs: 
Mars Io 46 14 49 18 52 21 50S. 
Jupiter... 6 11 Ir 46 17 22 § 29S. 
Saturn... 22 18* 6 20 14 22 21 22N. 
* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening and the setting 
that of the following morning. 
Occultations of Stars by the Moon (visible at Greenwich) 
Corresponding 
angles from ver- 
Oct Star Mag. Disap. Reap. fmtoiae hence 
inverted image 
h. m. Ins farts D a 
2 SVAN ces soo Ley coo ee) Kieccs fo) LCP 4o 19 
14... » Ceti ay Cte on FES TO cag LO) ie 46 272 
16 ... 6? Tauri Sp pecon ise Gyros Vite) S19) 98 216 
16... 6! Tauri 59 Cinco LC) 38 “Gag. 1s) 27/ 127 186 
Owes COMLAUL 22. | ss lOMerss| LON25 eemzO ny! 24 287 
Tope ol auri |: = 5 Aiecsl LO) 30).se2On20 32 279 
16 ... BA.C. 1391 ... 5 ... 20 5 nearapproach 155 — 
16 ... 85 Tauri .. oa] Ome ZOOS) Eee 2ON5O 53 255 
16 ... Aldebaran au . 22 37 near approach 155 — 
+ Occurs on the following morning. 
Variable Stars 
Star RA. Decl. 
ey Fan nae h. m. 
U Cephei 0) 52:2 ... Si 16) No Octnr4, ene 
S Cassiopeize L032. . 172 eke eee yy, eel: M 
A Tauri 3) 5474)... 12) ION; --.ys, eLOs) Siena 
F » 14, 153m 
U Monocerotis Uf dae Wore Oe usowtcco: ere EA m 
U Corone ... 15 %3'6.-.132) 4 Ne. g5 L2elomycemm 
>, 16, 5 43 m 
U Ophiuchi... 17 10°8 I 20IN..:.. 55, 13, SasOme 
and at intervals of 20 8 
W Sagittarii 17, 57°8 ... 29 35 9. --- Oct. 13; 2oms 
U Sagittarii... 18; 25°2 .2. 10) 12'Ss ese ae LO mORTE 
» 14,19 Off 
R Scuti TS) A4lC4 3 (5) SHOWN Aa Les M 
B Lyre... 18 45:9 ... 33 14. N..:. 5, 14; 100mm 
R Lyre RS) CNG Pera gtr: ter INI ap ng LS} M 
n Aquila 19 46:7... 0 43,.N.0. 3) Xi, e22mmomes 
V Cygni 20/3701... 47 (4A Ne een ks M 
T Capricorni PHI enaaicy steph. ool pp. | Sh) M 
5 Cephei 22 24:9)... 57 50N, =. 55) 12; kOmmOus 
S Aquarii Pe IVa 59) Gps ak 9 Ep M 
J 
M signifies maximum ; 7z minimum. 
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
AT a recent meeting of the Anthropological Institute in con- 
nection with the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, Mr. Pryer, of 
the Civil Service of British North Borneo, read a paper on the 
natives of this region. The main race, the Dusuns, are in all 
probability descendants of a mixed aboriginal and Chinese 
ancestry, and as we come nearer to the coasts the sub-tribes mix 
and blend with each other and with aliens, till on the east coast 
there is very little of the native type left at all, a race rapidly 
springing up there of very cosmopolitan origin. On the west 
coast there are more natives and fewer aliens, but much the 
same thing is occurring there on a smaller scale. It is difficult 
to say where the Dusun ends and the Dyak proper begins ; the 
former were at one time head-hunters, but they are now settling 
down under the North Borneo Company quietly to rural toil. 
They are thriving and increasing, and there is no fear of their 
melting away and disappearing, as so many races have done 
when brought in contact with the white man. The same may 
be said of the sea-coast races, especially of the Bajans. The 
Sooloos are the principal fishermen, and, like the rest, are now 
settling down to a more quiet and orderly life. The first true 
tribe of the interior arrived at from the east coast is the Booloo- 
doopy, a somewhat singular people, many of them having 
strangely Caucasian features, or, at all events, departing largely 
from the ordinary Mongolian type. Mr. Pryer describes several 
other tribes of the interior, and he inclines to the idea that the 
Chinese type is far more predominant in Borneo, even amongst 
the Dyaks, than has generally been supposed. He does not 
think that the Chinese went over in bodies to North Borneo, but 
rather that in the long course of Chinese trade with and settle- 
ment in the island, a slow and steady infiltration of Chinese 
blood, though not of Chinese speech or manners generally, took 
place. 
AT a late meeting of the Paris Geographical Society M. 
Hamy made a communication on an exhibition of collections 
from the French possessions in West Africa in the Jardin des 
Plantes, contributed by the Museum of Natural History and 
that of Ethnography. The exhibition, he said, was composed 
of two sections, one devoted to natural history, the other to 
ethnography. ‘The first showed that the countries were rich in 
iron and copper, which had ever furnished the natives with 
indispensable implements and utensils. Trees and various plants 
abound, and game is not rare. Numerous races live and have 
lived in these regions. The exhibition shows how they are at 
present distributed in West Africa. There are four groups of 
Negroes :—(1) The Negrillos or Pygmies, the most western race. 
They live now only in small scattered colonies in the most un- 
healthy spots, such as the estuary of the Ogwe, and the interior 
of Mayonbo; they are called Okoa, Bongoa, Bakké-bakké, 
Babonko, &c. (2) The second group is brachycephalous, of 
middle height, and lives principally on the right bank of the 
Lower Congo, but particularly on the Loango. They work in 
iron, and are far advanced in the mechanical arts. (3) The 
Mpongos, or people of the Gaboon, who have been in contact 
‘ 
eed 
RO Iie I a IEEE AEE ee, 
