Dec. 1 6, 1 886] 



NA TURE 



159 



Some important geological work has just been carried out 

 at Landsort, near Stockholm. Close to the coast, pipes have 

 been driven through the rock to the sea, by which sea-water will 

 be carried up into a specially constracted kiosk for examination 

 and registration, the object being to measure the elevation of 

 the shore in course of time. It is intended to establish similar 

 stations at various places on the coast. 



Between S and 9 o'clock on November 3 a remarkable pheno- 

 menon was observed at Hamar, in Norway. At the time there 

 was perfect d.arkness, when, suddenly, a bright white cloud 

 appeared in the sky, drifting in a north-easterly direction, and 

 from time to time emitting brilliant rays of light in various 

 directions. The cloud retained throughout its original form, and 

 disappeared at last in the darkness. 



Fish-hatching operations have now commenced at the 

 establishment of the National Fish Culture Association. The 

 new hatchery that has lately been constructed is completed, 

 and a batch of ova has already been laid down for incubation. 

 These were taken from Salmo fjutinalis located in the ponds 

 of the establishment. A large number of rainbow trout {S. 

 iriJcns), of Cnlifornia, hatched out two years ago by the 

 Association, from ova sent by the American Government, will 

 be ready to spawn at the end of the year, which is six weeks 

 earlier than in their native waters. This shows to what extent 

 fish alter their natures and habit-; according to the climatic and 

 other conditions of their locations. The S. iridens is a late 

 spawner in its native country, which is accounted for by the 

 hardness of the water and the low temperature that prevails. It is 

 hoped to secure a large quantity of ova from these fish. The 

 American Government have announced their intention of for- 

 warding consignments of ova from Transatlantic Salmonidse. 

 A feature is to be made this year of hatching ova for Fishery 

 Boards and other public bodies, who will collect ova from their 

 respective waters and forward them to the Association for 

 incubation. When hatched, the fry will be turned into the 

 parts from whence they came. 



According to the Colonies and India, a discovery of much 

 geological intere-t has just been made at Cockatoo Island, 

 Sydney. A large fossil shell of the genus Planorbis was found 

 in the excavation for a new Government dock at Cockatoo Island, 

 and was forwarded to Mr. Wilkinson, the Government Geologist 

 of New South Wales. This being the first fossil shell found in 

 the Hawkesbury formation, he took the opportunity of examin- 

 ing the rocks, but only obtained some fossil plants. As, how- 

 ever, the rocks lo jked promising for fossil remains, he sent the 

 collector, Mr. Cullen, to make a further search, which was 

 rewarded by the discovery of a most interesting fossil, which 

 Prof. W. J. Stephen has identified as Mastodon aunts, of which 

 a similar fossil specimen from Stuttgart is in the collection of the 

 Sydney University. This being the first discovery in Australia 

 of Labyrinlliodon, is of much scientific importance, as proving 

 the Triassic age of the Hawkesbury sandstone formation. 



The first number is to hand of the Proceedings of the Camera 

 Club, the President of which is Capt. Abney. It is nicely 

 printed, and will no doubt prove useful to members and to 

 photographers generally. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Sclater's Curassow [Crax sclateri 5) from 

 South America, a Razor-billed Curassow (Miitia tuberosa), a 

 Lesser Razor-billed Curassow (Milna lomentosa) from Guiana, 

 presented by Rear-Admiral Fairfax, R.N., F.Z.S. ; a Spanish 

 Terrapin {Ckmmys Icprosa) from Spain, presented by Miss 

 Eden ; eighteen Brown Newts (SpeUrpis fiiscus). South Euro- 

 pean, presented by Prof. H. H. Giglioli, C. M.Z.S. ; two European 

 Phyllodactyles {Phyllodadylus eitiopaus) from Cannes, presented 

 by Mr. J. C. Warburg ; two Peruvian Thicknees ((Edicnemus 



siipeiciliaris) from Peru, an Allied Saltator (Sal/alor asstmi/is) 

 from Brazil, an Australian Sheldvske (Tadonia iadonundes) from 

 Australia, received in exchange ; a Common Zebra {Eqtms 

 zebra i) from South Africa, two Shore Larks [Oct«corys 

 alpestris), British, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Publications of the Washburn Observatory, Vol. IV. 

 — ^In the month of March 1884, Prof. Holden offered to Prof. 

 Auwers to undertake the ob.-ervation at Madison of the 305 

 fundamental stars required for the southern zones of the Astrono- 

 mische Gesellschaft. In view, however, of the smallness of the 

 staff of the Observatory, Prof. Holden would only pledge him- 

 self to secure four complete observations of each star ; but, with 

 his assistants, Mr. Comstock worked with so much zeal and 

 energy that on his appointment to the Lick Observatoiy in the 

 autumn of 1885, the stars from oh. to 6h, of R.A., and from 

 I2h. to 24h. had all been completely observed six times, the 

 number Prof Auwers had desired, in each element. Mr. 

 Updegraff and Miss Lamb, who had latterly been Prof. Holden's 

 assistants, succeeded in bringing the entire work to completion 

 by the close of 1S85, no fewer than 6444 observations of stars, 

 irrespective of observations of the nadir point, having been se- 

 cured in the course of its carrying out. The observations were 

 always kept in a forward state of reduction, and thus the present 

 volume con'ains the results of the entire work. Prof Holden 

 was not, however, able to give the obsei-vations so full a discus- 

 sion as he had intended, and as they themselves seemed to merit 

 by their accuracy. The probable error of a single R.A. of stars 

 of the 303 list, observed in 1884, he found to be ± 0-037S. for 

 himself, ± 0'03is. for Mr. C'lmstock ; and for a single declina- 

 tion, for himself ± o"-400, for Mr. Comstock ± o"'436. 



The results of these observations, which were made with the 

 Repsold meridian-circle of 4'8 aperture, an instrument of essen- 

 tially perfect optical and mechanical quality, naturally occupy 

 the greater part of the present volume. It also contains some 

 other matters of interest, amongst which may be noted a series 

 of observations with wire screens before the object-glass of the 

 meridian telescope, for the purpose of ascertaining" the effect of 

 magnitude on the recorded time of transit, and the determina- 

 tion of the longitude of a station near the western boundary of 

 Dakota. It has been Prof Holden's effort also to make the 

 collection of star catalogues in the library of the Observatory as 

 complete as possible, and for that purpose he has bought most 

 of the principal catalogues attainable, and marked in them, so far 

 as possible, all the errata which were known to him. A list of 

 the sources from whence these corrections have been derived is 

 here given, and will doubtless be of considerable use to other 

 astronomers. 



The Second Armagh Catalogue of 3300 Stars.— Dr. 

 Dreyer, on his appointment to the direction of the Armagh 

 Observatory after the death of Dr. Robinson, found a great 

 mass of unpublished meridian observations which had been 

 accumulating since 1859, the date of the publication of the first 

 Armagh Catalogue. On the completion of that great work. 

 Dr. Robinson had formed the plan of re-observing a number of 

 stars occurring in Baily's Catalogue from Lalande's " Ilistoire 

 Celeste," and the observations were commenced in 1859, but 

 the work was interrupted at the end of the following year, the 

 Primate, Lord John George Beresford, having generously pro- 

 vided a new telescope of 7 inches aperture for the mural circle, 

 instead of the old one of 3j inches aperture. The idea of Dr. 

 Robinson, of converting the mural circle into a transit instru- 

 ment by the addition of a second pier, was not, however, carried 

 out. The observations were recommenced in April 1863, the 

 Rev. W. H. Rambaut being the observer from .\ugust 1864 to 

 luly 1S68, and the Rev: C. Faris from November 1868 to the 

 beginning of 1882. Dr. Dreyer himself observed during 1883, 

 with the end of which year the observations close. Considering 

 that the majority of the stars had, in the course of late years, 

 been observed in the zones of the Astronomische Gesellschafte, 

 and that nearly all might be expected to be included in the 

 forthcoming great Paris Catalogue, Dr. Dreyer thought it im- 

 portant to publish the Armagh results as speedily as possible, 

 and the Government Grant Committee of the Royal Society 

 having promised to meet the cost of publication, the present 

 Catalogue was prepared. It contains the results of the w hole 

 of the meridian work carried on at the Observatory since 1859 ; 



