474 



NA TURE 



\_March 17, i< 



organisms are Bacilli, which bear most resemblance to the 

 anthi-a'C Bacilli, but not smaller; (3) they are found in the 

 blood, lungs, heart, and nervous tissue of persons dying of the 

 disease ; (4) they can be reared independently ; (5) the Bacilli, 

 which can live as parasites in the human organism, can also live 

 and multiply out of it. These facts, which are said to be estab- 

 lished by the investigations, explain how beri-heri patients can 

 infect particular places, and how healthy individuals coming 

 from uninfected places contract the disease in infected ones. 



Mr. W. H. Beeby has reprinted from the Scottish Naturalist 

 some interesting notes on the flora of Shelland. They are the 

 result of a visit of about eight days to the Shetland Islands at 

 the latter end of July last. Four distinct districts were visited, 

 the greater amount of time being spent in Unst. Mr. Beeby is 

 of opinion that the flora of the Shetland Islands is well worthy 

 of further attention. An explorer would, he thinks, be rewarded 

 by finding plants which are at present known only in the Faroes 

 .and in Scandinavia. 



The contents of Part 2, No. 3, of vol. Iv. of the Journal of 

 the Asiatic Society of Bengal include a short paper by Dr. 

 King, on two new species of holly from the Eastern Himalayas, 

 but are otherwise purely entomological. Prof. Forel continues 

 his critical examination of Indian ants in the Calcutta Museum. 

 Mr. de Niceville describes nine new species of Indian butterflies, 

 chiefly from Sikkim (which are to be figured in a succeeding 

 number). Mr. Doherty, of Cincinnati, U.S.A., communicates 

 a paper on new or rare Indian butterflies, many of which 

 are from the Nicobar Islands ; and Mr. E. T. Atkinson, Presi- 

 dent of the Society, gives a compilation of what has been written 

 concerning Indian Coccidx, which may be taken as an introduc- 

 tion to the study of this obscure and injurious family of insects 

 in India. The author has chiefly followed Signoret in the 

 systematic arrangement. The collected information will prove 

 useful in India, for some of these scale-insects have been most 

 destructive to coffee and other plantations. Having a clue as 

 to how and what to observe, Indian entomologists will, no 

 doubt, soon show that legions of Coccidae exist in India, as 

 elsewhere, and many strange forms will be detected. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during 

 the past week include a Gray Ichneumon {Hcrpcslcs griseus) 

 from India, presented by Mr. C. F. Ilird ; a Golden Eagle 

 (Aijifila chrysactus\ from Scotland ; a Chilian Sea-Eagle {Gerano- 

 aelMs mclanoleitcus) from South America ; a Brazilian Caracara 

 {Polyborus brasilicnsis) from Brazil, presented by Mr. C. 

 Czarnikow ; a Bronze-winged Pigeon [Pimps chaicoplera) horn 

 Australia, presented by Mr. Malcolm Nicholson ; two Red- 

 crested Cardinals {Paroaria cucullata) from Brazil ; two Cock- 

 ateels [Calopsitta noviv-hoUanJiie) from Australia, presented by 

 Colonel F. D. Walters ; two Crested Newts [Molgc crislata), 

 presented by Mr. Alban Doran ; a Lesser White-nosed Monkey 

 (Ceiropithectis petaurista) from West Africa ; two Blue-fronted 

 Amazons {Chrysalis astiva) from South America, deposited ; a 

 Hog Deer {Cervtis porcinus), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Telegraphic Determination of Australian Longi- 

 tudes. — A "Report on the Telegraphic Determination of 

 Australian Longitudes," signed by Messr-. Ellery, Todd, and 

 Russell, has recently been published by the Government of 

 South Australia. This Report contains the final results of the 

 operations connecting Singapore and Port Darwin, carried out 

 in 1883 by Capt. Darwin, R.E., in concert with the Australian 

 astronomers above mentioned. The Observatories of Melbourne, 

 Sydney, and Adelaide were subsequently connected with Port 

 Darwin. The preliminary results of these telegraphic longi- 



tude determinations were communicated by Mr. Todd in 18S3 to 

 Sir G. B. -\iry, and published in the Obscrvat^iry for October of 

 that year. The longitude of Singapore adopted in forming the 

 results given in the Report before us is that determined by Com- 

 m.ander Green, U.S.A., in 1882, viz. 6h. 55m. 25'Ols. East of 

 Greenwich (for Capt. Darwin's station), assuming that of the 

 Madras Observatory to be 5h. 20m. 59"423. Hence the resulting 

 longitudes are :— 



h. m. s. 



Observatory, Port Darwin 8 43 22 '49 



,, Adelaide g 14 20*30 



,, Melbourne 9 39 54'I4 



„ Sydney 10 4 49"54 



,, Wellington, N.Z u 39 6"52 



,, Hobart 9 49 i9'8o 



The observations for the purpose of connecting Singapore with 

 the various points in Australia are given in sufficient detail in 

 the Report to enable us to see that the determinations have been 

 made with care and attention to detail, and appear to be deserv- 

 ing of every confidence. The New Zealand and Tasmanian 

 results may perhaps require further correction. 



Comets and Asteroids. — Prof. Daniel Kirkwood has a 

 brief note in Khu American Journal for Janu.ary 1887, on the 

 origin of comets, in which he points out the probability that 

 two, at least, of recent short-period comets have had an origin in 

 the zone of asteroids. Tempel's comet (1867 II.) has a period, 

 inclination, and longitude of node approximately the same with 

 those of Sylvia (Minor Planet No. 87), whilst its eccentricity is 

 but little greater than that of .'Ethra (No. 132). Wolf's comet 

 (18S4 in.), before its last close approach to Jupiter, had an 

 eccentricity which was exceeded by twelve known minor 

 planets ; its period was .about 3619 days, and its me.an distance 

 4*61 r, so that it would appear to have been simply a very 

 remote asteroid. Its period was very nearly commensurable 

 with that of Jupiter. 



The Tails of the Comets of 1886. — Prof. Th. Bredichin 

 has recently examined the curves of the tails of the three princi- 

 pal comets of last year in connection with his well-known theory 

 as to the laws of formation of the tails of comets. The two first 

 comets, those of Fabry and Barnard (1886 I. and II.), 'proved diffi- 

 cult to observe, the earth being nearly in the plane of the orbit 

 of the former comet, so that the foreshortening greatly increased 

 the errors of observations, whilst the tail of the latter was very 

 short, and was diffused on one side. Both, however, were of 

 the same type, the second, I - /i being found to be equal to 

 I '3 for the first, and I '9 for the second. The third comet 

 referred to, that discovered almost simultaneously by Mr. 

 Barnard and Prof. Hartwig, proved much more important for 

 the purposes of Prof Bredichin's theory, since it showed three 

 tails. Of these the principal one plainly belonged to the first 

 type, a value of 17 '5 for I - jx satisfying the observations very 

 fa rly. The shorter tail seen by a number of observers plainly 

 belonged to the third type, I - m being very small, whilst a 

 third tail, seen by Mr. Backhouse (Nature, January 6, p. 224), 

 and lying between the other two, evidently belonged to the 

 second type. 



Minor Planet No. 265. — M. Bigourdan points out (Ci);«/to 

 rendus, vol. civ. No. 9) that the motion of R. A. of this body is 

 unusually rapid, amounting to - Im. 40s., or double the 

 ordinary value for the other asteroids. As the planet is nearly 

 exactly in opposition, it must be relatively near the earth, and 

 may therefore be very advantageously employed in the future for 

 the determination of the solar parallax. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1887 MARCH 20-26 



/"pOR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

 ^ Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 



is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on March 20 

 Sun rises, 6h. 5m. ; souths, I2h. 7m. 377s. ; sets, iSh. nm. ; 



deck on meridian, 0° 10' S. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 



6h. 3m. 

 Moon (New on March 24) rises, 4h. 30m. ; souths, gh. lom. ; 



sets, I3h. 57m. ; decl. on meridian, 15° 39' S. 



