296 



NATURE 



{Jan. 24, i! 



The Geographical Society at Antwerp has given a reception 

 to the distinguished geographer. Dr. Chavanne, editor of the 

 Mittheilun^en of the Vienna Geographical Society. He has 

 undertaken the task of drawing up a complete map of the Congo 

 territory, showing the stations of tlic African Association. He 

 will leave for the Congo at the beginning ot next month. 



The firit maps ot the AI^., im -iiivt-y hive been published 

 and presented to the Taris Academy by Col. Perrier. 



The largest ice cavern in Carniola has lately been discovered 

 by Prof. Linhart of Laibach, having hitherto been known only 

 to a small circle of woodcutters and hunters. It is now called 

 the Friedrichstein Cavern, and can be reached in about two to 

 three hours from Gott^chee. The upper aperture is large and 

 rectangular, the back is formed by a limestone rock rising some 

 So metres perpendicularly ; there is also a colossal gate fringed 

 by icicles some metres in length. The sides are very steep. The 

 area of the cave is about 450 square metres, nearly circular in 

 shape, the level ground being covered with ice several feet deep. 

 Altogether the cave seems to offer one of the grandest aspects 

 imaginable. 



News about the Russian expedition to Western Africa under 

 Herr Schulz von Rogosinski was communicated at a recent 

 meeting of the Berlin Geographical Society. The expedition 

 has investigated the district north and east of the Cameroon 

 Mountain?, and discovered a large native settlement or town, 

 Kumba by name, on the Mungo River east of the mountains 

 mentioned. They intend to penetrate still further to the east. 

 Dr. Pauli and Dr. Passavant of Ba^le have started also for the 

 same districts on an exploring tour. A letter was aUo read, 

 dated Ibi, September 30, in which Robert Flegel makes some 

 official business communications. 



The additions to the Z0ologic.1l Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Black-handed Spider Monkey (Aides 

 geoffroyi) from Central America, presented by Mr. Colin Wm. 

 Scott ; two Yellow-bellied Liothrix {Liothrix hiteus) from 

 India, a Goldfinch (Cardnelis elegans), British, presented by 

 Mrs. Edwards ; an Indian Elephant (Mottled Variety) {Elephas 

 indicus i ) from Burmab, a Slow Loris [Ny cticebus tardigiadiis) 

 from Sumatra, a Gray Ichneumon {Ua-pestes griseus) from India, 

 deposited ; a Rufous-necked Wallaby (Halmaturus ruficollis) from 

 New South Wales, a Brush Bronze-wing Pigeon (/"/ia/i £'%a«j) 

 from Australia, received on approval ; an Axis Deer (Cervus axis), 

 three Brown-tailtd Gerbilles {Geibillus crythrurus), a Babirussa 

 (Babirnssa al/urtis), bjrn in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 A Southern Comet. — A telegram from Melbourne ad- 

 dressed to Prof. Krueger of Kiel, editor of the Astronomische 

 Nach ichten, notifies the discovery of a small comet on January 

 12 in R.A. 22h. 40m., and N.P.D. 130° 8', and consequently 

 in the constellation Grus. It is stated to be moving quickly to 

 the south-east. 



Possibly this comet may add to tlie very small number of 

 cases where one of these bodies has been telescopically discovered 

 in the other hemisphere, and the elements of the orbit have wholly 

 depended upon southern observations. We can call to mind 

 only two such instances : (i) the comet of 1824 detected by the 

 late Carl RUmker at Parramatla, and observed there by him 

 and by fir Thomas Brisbane, the founder of that observatory, 

 and Governor of the Colony. The orbit was first calculated by 

 RUmker, and has lately been more completely investigated from 

 the Parramatta observations by Dr. Doberck ; (2) the comet of 

 1833, discovered by Uunlop (Rumker's successor) at Parramatta 

 at th* end of September, and ob.erv^d there from October i 

 to 16 : orbits by Henderson, Peters, and Hartwig. 



Pons' Co.met. — For the convenience of readtrs who are 

 observing in the southern hemisphere we subjoin an ephemeris 

 of this comet, deduced from the provisionally corrected ellipse 



of MM. Schulhof and Bossert. The positions are for Greenwich 

 mean noon : — 



Decl. 



R.A. 



Log. di 



Earth 



9-9506 



itatice from 

 Sun 

 ... 9 '9024 



31 388 

 35 10-7 

 38 142 ... 00019 ... 9.9284 



40 54'4 



43 15S ... u 0440 ... 9 962S 



45 22 4 



47 i7'2 ... 00772 ... OOOII 



49 2-8 



50 41-4 ... 0-1029 ■■ 00401 



52 149 



53 446 ... OI22S ... 00781 



55 11-3 



56 36-0 ... 0-1374 ... 0-1143 



57 59-4 



59 22-0 ... 0-1489 ... 0-1483 



60 43-6 



62 4-1 ... 0-1583 .. o-iSoo 



63 22 5 



■64 37-4 ... o-i668 ... 0-2095 



The theoretical intensity of light on February 5 is sixty-nine 

 times that on the day of discovery ; on April 17 only six times 

 the same. Probably the comet may be discernible with the 

 naked eye until the end of February. 



Dr. G. MviUer of the Astro-physical Observatory at Potsdam 

 records a second remarkably sudden increase in the brightness of 

 this comet. On January 1 at 5h. 47m. M.T. its appearance was 

 very similar to that of the preceding days, the nucleus large and 

 diffused ; photometric comparisons showed that it was following 

 pretty nearly in the calculated light-curve, and harmonised with 

 the measures on December 29 and 30. At 7h. 20m. he was 

 astonishtd at the altered aspect of the comet. In place of the 

 previously diffused nucleus, there was now an almost stellar 

 point, equal in brightness to a star of the seventh magnitude, so 

 that he was at first under the impression that a bright star was 

 seen through the comet. By comparisons with two neighbouring 

 stars, estimated in the Durchttmsterung 7 -o and 6 -8, the following 

 magnitudes were determined : — 



With the help of a curve the observations appeared to fix the 

 maximum of the development of light to 8h. 12m. M.T. at 

 Potsdam corresponding to 7h. 20m. Greenwich M.T. At 

 9h. 30m. the comet's aspect had again changed and resembled 

 that presented at the previous day's observations. The whole 

 variation amounted to about I -3 mag. On that evening the 

 comet's distance from the sun was 0-90, and that from the earth 

 0-665. 



Attention will be no doubt directed in the other hemisphere to 

 these abnormal variations in the light of the comet. It will be 

 remembered that the first remarkable change occurred about 

 September 22, three weeks after the discovery by Mr. Brooks, 

 when the distance from the sun was 2-18, and from the earth 

 2-14. 



PROFESSOR HAECKEL ON THE ORDERS OF 



THE RADIOLARIA ' 



II. 



[The follow ing translation of a recent paper of mine, by 

 Miss Nellie Maclagan, has been revised by myself.— Ernst 

 HaECIvEL.] 



Systematic Survey of the 4 Orders, 10 Sub-orders, and 32 



Families of the Class Radiolaria. (Compare the former 



survey of the families in my Monograph, 1S62, and in 



"Prodromus," I.e. 18S1). 



I. Order I. ACANTHARIA, Hkl. (Aeanlharia, Hkl., 1881 



= Acanthometnie, Hertwig, 1879 = Panacantha, Hkl., 1878). 



Central capsule oiiginally (and usually permanently) spherical ; ^^ 

 nucleus usually early divided into numerous small nuclei. Cap- \ j 



' " Scfarat-Abdriick aus den Sitiungsberichtender Jenaischen GeselUch^ft 

 fvir Medicin. und Wissenschafl." Jahrg. 1883. Suiung. v^n 16 iebruar. 

 Concluded from p. 276. 



