2IO 



NA rURE 



[January 2, 1902 



physics, founded upon the lectures of Prof. J. Willard Gibbs 

 by Dr. E. B. Wilson. The volumes can be obtained in London 

 from Mr. Edward Arnold. 



The kinematograph is now so frequently employed to re- 

 produce the characteristics of moving objects and scenes that 

 everyone is familiar with its pictures. But twenty years ago, 

 when Mr. Muybridge projected before an audience at the Royal 

 Institution a series of moving pictures illustrating animal loco- 

 motion, the results were regarded as veritable photographic 

 triumphs. Since then photography has been utilised in the analysis 

 of motions of many animate and inanimate objects, but Mr. 

 Muybridge's collection of pictures is still the standard work 

 on the various changes which take place in the disposilion of 

 the limbs and body of common animals during motion. A 

 cheap edition (price 20^.) of the plates illustrating "The Human 

 Figure in Motion " has been published by Messrs. Chapman 

 and Hall, and will doubtless be appreciated by artists and 

 students of anatomy who are unable to study the elaborate 

 work in which the pictures originally appeared. 



The "Annuaire" of the French Bureau des Longitudes is 

 a wonderful repertory of statistical and other information re- 

 quiring frequent revision if it is to represent existing conditions 

 of knowledge. In the volume for 1902, received a few days 

 ago, we notice that all the dates are expressed in mean civil 

 time, reckoned continuously from o hour to 24 hours, and 

 beginning at midnight. The catalogue of minor planets has 

 been brought up to October 2, 1901. M. E. Levasseur brings 

 the statistics of the population of Europe up to the end of 

 October last ; and the magnetic elements of the chief places in 

 France are given for the epoch January I, 1902. As in previous 

 years, there are articles on subjects of wide scientific interest. 

 To the present "Annuaire" M. II. Poincare contributes an 

 article on telegraphy without intervening wires ; M. A. Cornu 

 writes on polyphase currents ; M. E. Guyou on the application 

 of the decimal division of the quadrant of a circle to navigation ; 

 and M. J. Janssen on the establishment and work of the ob- 

 servatory on the summit of Mont Blanc. 



The as yet unanswered question concerning the source and 

 ■mode of production of the free electricities, which appear on the 

 ■separation of two heterogeneous bodies which have been in con- 

 tact, is the subject of an interesting paper by O. Knoblauch in 

 the last number of the Zeitschrift fiir physikalisdu Chemie. 

 Seventy-five different substances of various characters were 

 brought into contact with plates of platinum, paraffin, sulphur, 

 and glass, and the positive or negative character of the charge 

 Teceived by the plate on separation was in each case determined. 

 By the assumption of an absorbed film of water on the surfaces 

 of these different bodies, the author finds it possible by applica- 

 tion of well-known principles of the ionic theory to account for 

 the character of the charge received by the one substance after 

 it has been in contact with a second. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past fortnight include a Vervet Monkey {Cercopithccus lalandii) 

 from South Africa, presented by Captain B. Head ; ten Crab- 

 eating Raccoons (Didelpkys caiuyivorus) from South America, 

 a Gangetic Trionyx ( Trionyx gangeticiis) from the Ganges, 

 fifteen Tigrine Frogs {Rana tigrina) from India, deposited ; a 

 Crimson-breasted Barbet (Xantkoloema haeiiuxtoccphalus) from 

 India, a \'ariegated Sheldrake ( Tadorna variegata) from New 

 Zealand, purchased ; a Campbell's Monkey (Cercopilhecus 

 campbclli] from West Africa, presented by Mr. F. R. Paxman ; 

 a Green Monkey {Cercopithecus callitrichus) from West Africa, 

 presented by Dr. Gray ; a Bonnet Monkey {Hacacus sinicus) 

 from India, presented by Mr. D. Justice. 

 NO. 1679, VOL. 65] 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Astronomical Occurrenxes in January. 

 Jan. 



Epoch of January meteoric shower (radiant 230° -I- 53°). 

 Ilh. 2Sm. Minimum of Algol (fl Peisei). 

 Sh. 17m. Minimum of Algol (3 Persei). 

 loh. Saturn in conjunction with the sun. 

 I5h. Venus at greatest brilliancy. 

 5h. 5m. Minimum of Algol (a Persei). 

 4h. 17m. to 5h. 27m. .Moon occults c' Capricorni 

 (mag. 5'2;. 



conjunction with moon. Venus 



iSh. 



7h. 



Moon occults 



.\quarii 

 021S, .Mars 



\"enus 



3' 8' S. 

 13. 6h. 23m. to 



(mag. 5-5). 

 15. Venus. Illuminated portion of disc 



= 0990. 

 15. ilh. Jupiter in conjunction with sun. 



21. Sh. I5ni. to Sh. 39m. Moon occults 71 Orionis 



(mag. 5-1). 



22. l6h. 56m. to I7h. 2Sm. Moon occults 68 (leminorum 



(mag. 5-0). 

 24. 6h. 7ni. to 7h. Im. Moon occults k Cancri 



(mag. 5.0). 

 24. I7h. 23m. to 



(mag. 5-6). 



26. iSh. 38m. to 



(mag. 5-5). 



27. 2ih. Juno in 



1° 11"' N. 



28. 9h. 59m. Minimum of Algol (B Persei). 

 31. 6h. 4Sm. Minimum of Algol (3 Persei). 



Stars near Nova Persei. — Prof. Ceraski reports in the 

 Aslroiiomische Nachrichten (Bd. 157, No. 3755) that on a 

 photograph obtained on the night of 1S99 January 30 there is 

 a small star very near the position at present occujiied by the 

 Nova. \"isual observations with a 15-inch telescope now fail 

 to locate the star, and he asks astronomers with powerful 

 instruments at their disp isal to examine this region. The 

 coordinates with respect to the Nova Persei are : — 



iSh. cm. Moon occults lu Leonis 



I9h. 30m. Moon occults f' Leonis 



conjunction with moon. Juno 



R.A. 

 Decl. 



o N'ova + o=. • 

 5 Nova - 7 ". 



As estimated from the photograph, the star would be of about 

 the 1 2th magnitude. 



Magnetic Observations during Total Solar Eclipse. 

 — In the Journal of Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric 

 Electricity (vol. vi. pp. 123-143) reports are presented showing 

 the details of observations of the magnetic declination, horizontal 

 and vertical forces during the total solar "clipse of May 17-18, 

 1 90 1. The stations employed for the determinations given in 

 this ifsue were at Pola, Austria ; Val Joyeux, France ; Groningen 

 University, Holland ; De Bilt Observatory, near Utrecht ; 

 Flushing, Holland. Further reports will be published later, 

 and the whole discussed with the object of investigating the 

 perturbations due to extra-terrestrial causes. 



The Total Solar Eclipse, May iS, 1901.— In Popular 

 Astronomy for December, 1 901, Prof. E. E. Barnard gives a 

 long description of the preparation, equipment and preliminary 

 experiments undertaken in connection with the last eclipse, and 

 although the weather conditions prevented any positive results 

 being obtained, the record of his methods of dealing with 

 apparatus on such great scale — the plates used were 40 x 40 

 and 30 X 30 inches — will be of considerable interest and value 

 to workers on future occasions. 



Natal Observatory Report for 1900. — The report 

 recently issued by the Government Astronomer of Natal contains 

 as a supplement the details of the observations at the various 

 meteorological stations throughout the colony during the year 

 1900, with summaries. The returns of several stations are 

 unavoidably incomplete in consequence of the unsettled state of 

 the country. 



The instruments, with the exception of the 8-inch Grubb 

 equatorial refractor, are in good order. This instrument will, 

 it is hoped, be shortly dismounted and thoroughly overhauled. 



The system of time signals is now established over the colony 

 and is working satisfactorily. 



