232 



NA TURE 



[January 9, 1902 



rank engaged in the extension of natural knowledge. The 

 present volume contains reports upon scientific work, as, for 

 example, those by Dr. Langley upon observations of the sol.ir 

 eclipse of May 28, 1900, the new spectrum, and the Langley 

 aerodrome ; scientific articles from magazines, as Sir Norman 

 Lockyer's account of the progress of astronomy during the nine- 

 teenth century, Prince Krapotkin's article on unsuspected 

 radiations, and the late Dr. J. Kiske's reminiscences of Huxley ; 

 presidential addresses, as Prof. W. J. Sollas's address on 

 evolutional geology, delivered before the British Association in 

 1900, and Dr. G. M. Sternberg's address on malaria ; several 

 papers read before scientific societies, as one by Prof V. B. 

 Lewes on incandescent mantles, and Mr. E. S. Grogan's paper, 

 re.id before the Royal (jeographical Society, on his journey 

 through Africa from the Cape to Cairo ; original articles on 

 Chinese folklore, and the restoration of extinct animals, and 

 several translations, among which we notice a paper by Dr. 

 Janssen on the progress of aeronautics, and one by Dr. F. 

 Delitzsch on discoveries in Mesopotamia. In addition to these 

 articles there are a number of others dealing with the progress 

 of various branches of science during the nineteenth century. 

 We are grateful to Dr. Langley for collecting these contribu- 

 tions to scientific literature from many sources and rendering 

 them easy of access in his annual anthology. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Bonnet Monkey (Macaciis sinutis) from 

 India, presented by Mr. L. E. Carmalt ; a Macaque Monkey 

 (Mactuiis cynomolgHs) from India, presented by Mr. W. 11. 

 Sheridan; a Black-eared Marmoset {Hafale penicillata) from 

 South-east Brazil, presented by Mrs. Augusta Ryland ; a 

 Common Squirrel (Scitirus vulgaris), British, presented by Mr. 

 K. B. Hatfield ; a Red-faced Spider Monkey (Ateles paiiisais) 

 from Guiana, a Barnard's Parrakeet (Plafy^erciis barnardi) from 

 Sjuth Australia, five Conical Eryx (Eryx conicus), a Long- 

 snouted Snake {Dryophis viyclerisans), a Hamilton's Terrapin 

 (Damonta hamiltoni) from India, two Black-headed Terrapins 

 [Dainonia reevesi utiUolor) from China, deposited ; two Cosco- 

 roba Swans (Coscoroba canJida) from Antarctic America, 

 purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Annular Eclii'se oi" the Sun, November ii, 

 1901. — The successful observation of this eclipse by M. A. de la 

 Baume Pluvinel at Cairo was announced by telegram some 

 lime ago, and his complete report of the operations appears in 

 the Comples rendtis (vol. cxxxiil. pp. I1S0-I185). Although the 

 results were in general successful, the conditions were some- 

 what unfavourable owing to the low altitude, about 15', of the 

 sun at mid eclipse. 



Three lines of investigation were attempted. 



(i) The examination of the solar spectrum at grazing incidence 

 on the moon's surface. This was done with a |)owerful grating 

 spectrograph, using an image of the sun about 14 mm, diameter 

 on the slit plate. No variation in the various groups of lines 

 examined could be detected, and it was concluded that this 

 rendered the existence of any lunar atmosphere extremely 

 improbable. 



(2) Photographs of the crescents presented at second and 

 third contacts were obtained in the hope of detecting any differ- 

 ence in constitution between the chromosphere and the outer 

 photospheric layers. These were taken with a small prism 

 spectrograph, having condenser, collimator, and camera objec- 

 tives all about 060 metre focal length. A considerable number 

 of arcs were obtained, and a list is given showing their wave- 

 lengths in comparison with Young's chromospheric lines. The 

 main series of arcs corresponded to a chromospheric layer about 

 20" of arc in height, but beside these there appeared a series of 

 more feeble images corresponding to a layer some 40 " high. The 



absence of the hydrogen series so conspicuous in the chromo- 

 spheric spectrum is attributed to the mutual action of chromo- 

 spheric radiation and photospheric absorption. 



(3) Attempts to photograph the corona in presence of sun- 

 light. This had appeared feasible in consequence of the im- 

 pressions obtained several seconds after totality during the 

 eclipse of January 1898, in India. For this work he employed a 

 Cooke triple photo-visual objective of I 5 omelres focal length. 

 This instrument and the image lenses of the two spectrographs 

 were fed by 3 plane mirrors mounted on a single coeloslat. 



As the diameters of sun and moon differed by i' 24" there 

 were about l6/iooths of the sun's disc still visible at mid-eclipse. 

 Two photographs, with 3 seconds and 10 seconds exposure, were 

 obtained, but the aureole shown is not thought to be truly 

 coronal. 



Attempts were also made to detect the corona by utilising the 

 action of the calorific rays on phosphorescent substances, but 

 with negative results. 



THE MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA. 



A MONGST the recently issued publications of the Field- 

 ■'*■ Columbian Museum of Chicago we find a list of the 

 land and sea mammals of North America, north of Mexico, 

 prepared by Mr. D. G. Elliot, curator of the department of 

 mammals in that institution. The list is stated to contain the 

 names of all the forms of North American mammals found on 

 land or in the adjacent seas which had been described up to 

 the date of publication (June 10, 1901), at any rate all those 

 that "under the most lenient treatment are entitled to any 

 sort of consideration." This most useful catalogue serves to 

 show us very plainly the great activity of the American zoologists 

 in this particular department of their science during recent 

 years. In the late Prof. Baird's work on North American 

 mammals, published in 1857, only 220 terrestrial species of 

 this class (not including the bats) were recognised as occurring 

 in the northern portion of the American continent, besides 

 thirty-six others which were considered as of doubtful authen- 

 ticity. Mr. Elliot's list contains the names of 628 species 

 besides 36S subspecies, so that, if we take it as correct, the 

 number of recognisable forms of North American mammals has 

 been enormously increased of late years. It will be interesting 

 to ascertain in what groups of the class of mammals this great 

 augmentation has mainly taken place. This is shown in the 

 following tabular statement : — 



NO. 1680, VOL. 65] 



In considering the.se figures it must be remarked that as Baird 

 did not include the three groups of marine mammals or the 

 Chiroptera in the scope of his work no complete comparison 

 can be made. But it will be obvious, on a glance at the com- 



i parative tables, that it is the smaller mammals, the Rodents 

 and Insectivores, that have so greatly increased in multitude, 

 according to the present fashion of dealing with them. The 

 Rodents, of which Baird only recognised 130 in North America, 



. are nosv supposed to number 3S0 species, besides 255 subspecies, 



