NATURE 



\_May 4, 1882 



accompanied Capt. Carter on his journey with the three Indian 

 elephants in 1S79, meant for the use of one of the Belgian 

 expeditions In his paper Mr. Rankin gives full details of the 

 conduct of the elephants up to Mpwapwa, where their troubles 

 began. Although they were severely attacked by the Tsetse, no 

 permanent evil effect seems to have followed. At Mpwapwa, 

 indeed, a report was sent to the King of the Belgians, in which 

 it was stated that the elephant experiment was a complete 

 success, on account of their immunity against Tsetse, their ability 

 to live on the uncultivated food of the country, and to march 

 over all kinds of ground. A few days aftsr the report, however, 

 the largest elephant suddenly died. Mr. Rankin attributed its 

 death to insufficient food and over-work. In India it had been 

 stall-fed ; in Africa it never seems to have had enough to 

 eat — the back-bones of all these stood six or seven inches from 

 their flanks at Mpwapu. It is clear also that their loads were 

 far beyond what they had been accustomed to. As is known, 

 the other elephants subsequently died. This experiment 

 cannot be considered a fair one, though the lessons it taught will 

 be of service in any future attempt to utilise the animal as a beast 

 of burden in Africa. 



A hydromotor recently invented by Herr Fleischer of Kiel, 

 for propulsion and steering of vessels, acts (we learn from Wiede- 

 mann's Beihldtter, 3) by pressure of steam on water, in a cylinder, 

 forcing out the water as a jet below. A float on the water in the 

 cylinder works, in a simple way, the opening and closure of the 

 valves for admission and escape of the steam, and the vacuum 

 produced by condensation of steam in a condenser opens valves 

 for readmission of water. The hot water layer, which forms on 

 the liquid surface, and the wooden lining of the cylinder, reduce 

 the condensation during expulsion of the water to a minimum. 

 A comparison of the working of the author's vessel with that of 

 the Water-witch and Rival (aNo propelled by hydraulic reaction) 

 showed that while the kinetic energy of the expelled water was 

 in the Wattr-witck 315 per cent, of the indicated quantity of 

 steam, and in the Rival 26'$ percent, in the (so-called) "hydro- 

 motor " it was 89 per cent. Herr Flischer, in a recent brochure, 

 investigates the physics of his motor. 



If those members of the Quekett Microscopical Club who 

 intend to be present on the occasion of the opening of Epping 

 Forest by Her Majesty on Saturday next, the 6th inst, will 

 communicate with the Hon. Sec. of the Quekett Microscopical 

 Club, 7, The Hill, Putney, S.W., he will do his best to find 

 places for their accommodation. 



With reference to our notice of "Through Siberia" (vol. 

 xxv. p. 582), the Rev. H. Lansdell writes that in the List of 

 Illustrations at the commencement of vol. i. he acknowledges 

 the sources whence they are taken ; and with reference to the 

 photograph of a " Buriat girl " he states that he bought the 

 photograph, in the Buriat country, of the man who took it, that 

 the giil was known even by name to his local friends, and that 

 he has every reason to believe she was a pure Buriat and not a 

 metis. 



The additions to the Zoolog'cal Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Rhesus Monkey (Macacus erythraus 6) 

 from India, presented by Mrs. Lamprey ; a Chinese Tiger (Fells 

 tigris i ) from China, presented by Mr. G. Brown ; two Bauer's 

 Parrakeets (Platycercus zonarius) from Australia, presented re- 

 spectively by Mr. J. Charlton Parr, F.Z.S., and Miss Eva 

 Maitland ; a Mississippi Alligator (Alligator mississippiatsis) from 

 Florida, U.S.A., presented by Master Bennett; a Slow-worm 

 (Angiiis fragilis), British, presented by Mr. Poyer Poyer ; two 

 Axolotls (Siredon mexicantis) from Mexico, three European 

 Pond Tortoises (Emys europeca), five Carpathian Scorpions 

 (Scorpio carpathicus) from Italy, presented by Mr. T. D. G. 



Carmichael ; a Black-backed Piping Crow (Gymnorhina tibicen) 

 from Autralia, deposited; two Common Squirrels (Sciious 

 vulgaris), British, two Green-horned Parrakeets (Nytnphiciis 

 uvceensis) from the Island of Uvea, Loyalty group, purchased ; 

 a Black-backed Kaleege (Euplocamus melatiotis) from Sikkim, 

 received in exchange; a Hybrid Paradoxure (between Paia- 

 doxurus larvatus and Paradoxurus leuconiystax), two Variegated 

 Sheldrakes (Tadorna variegata), bred in the Gardens. The 

 following insects have been exhibited in the Insect House during 

 the past month : — Butterflies : Papilio podalirius, Anthocharis 

 cardamincs, Araschnia levana, Thais polyxena. Moths : Dtilc- 

 phila euphorbia, Charocampa ilpenor, Sphinx pinastri, Satumia 

 pyri, S. carpini. Silk Moths : Attains roylei, Aclias selene, A. 

 lima, Tclea polyphemus. The insects have, with few exceptions, 

 been very good specimens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 The Present Comet. — The following orbit of the comet 

 discovered by Mr. Wells on March 17 has been calculated by 

 Mr. Hind from the Harvard College and Albany observa- 

 tions on March 17, and observations by Prof. Tacchini at the 

 Collegio Romano in Rome on April 6 and 21 ; the small correc- 

 tions were taken into account : — 



Perihelion passage, June 10-69852 M.T. at Greenwich. 



Longitude of perihelion 53 47 46-3! From mem 



,, ascending node ... 205 8 26 \ equinox 



Inclination 73 57 47'2 ) i8S2x>. 



Logarithm of perihelion distance 8 796420 

 Motion — direct. 



Hence the positions for Greenwich midnight will be — 



R.A. Deck Log. distance ■ 



h. m. s. . , Earth. Sun. 



May 4 ... 21 19 11 ... +71 31-3 ... 9'9 S 7° ••• 0-0670 



5 ... 21 36 12 ... 72 190 



6 ... 21 54 57 ... 73 «'5 ••- 99793 ■•■ 0-0502 



7 ... 22 15 27 ... 73 37-7 



8 ... 22 37 35 ... 74 6 '4 •■• 9'97 2 4 ■•• 0-0324 



9 ••- 23 1 9 ... 74 26-4 



10 ... 23 25 49 ... 74 369 ... 99664 ... 0-0134 



11 ... 23 51 6 ... 74 37*1 



12 ... o 16 22 ... +74 26-4 ... 9-9612 ... 9'993 2 



If the intensity of light on March 19 be taken as unity, the 

 intensity on Mav 12 is 15-6. 



The perihelion distance is given by different computers as 

 follows : — 



Kreutz— observations to April 7 0-06343 



Lamp „ ,, 9 006123 



Oppenheim ,, ,, 11 0x6459 



Hind ,, ,, 21 0-06258 



From the above elements it will be found that at the ascending 

 node the comet makes a close approach to the earth's orbit, the 

 distance being only 0-0048, or, assuming S"'S48 for the solar 

 parallax, 443,500 mile-, roughly twice the distance of the moon. 

 The ascending node is passed on July 11, but the earth will be 

 far from that point of her orbit. 



The so-called Nova of 184S.— There docs not appear to be 

 any recent notice of the magnitude of this object, though the last 

 published observations by Dr. Julius Schmidt in 1S6S showed 

 that it had not sensibly changed for some years. It was slightly 

 over 13m. Its position for 1SS00 is in R.A. l6h. 52m. 46^ , 

 N.P.D. 102° 42' 26". Webb in the last edition of his "Celestial 

 Objects for Common Telescopes," p. 356, says: "colour very 

 fine, 1875," but this note must surely refer to some other object, 

 the Nova Ophiuchi of 1S48, having been too faint for years past 

 to show striking colour. Perhaps some reader of Nature may 

 be able to state what is its present degree of brightness. There 

 are two stars having the following positions with reference to 

 Nova which may assist its identification. 



nm. ... Angle 249°'4 Distance 7' 55^' 



lo-iioi , '44°'S » S ' 5 1 



It follows a 9m. Lalande-star 14-75., and is 18' 22" north of it. 

 In 1874 it was below the twelfth magnitude. 



