546 



NA TURE 



{April -J, 1887 



the most generally popular of the sciences. Already the Cor- 

 poration has shown that it is disposed to further botanical science 

 by admitting students of the University to the Gardens under 

 certain conditions, while the gates are locked to the general 

 public. It is earnestly to be hoped that this may be the first 

 step towards a permanent policy of encouragement of the 

 study of botany in one of the most densely populated centres in 

 the United Kingdom. 



Some of the American whitefish {Corcgoinis allnis) tuined 

 into the waters of the Marquess of Exeter at Burghley Park a 

 year ago, were lately caught. They were 7 inches long. This 

 is important evidence as to their adaptability to English waters. 

 The National Fish-Culture Association are incubating a large 

 quantity of the ova of this species for acclimatisation purposes. 



Since 1878 the Ontario and Western Railway Company has 

 baen engaged in re-stocking streams in America within the area 

 of its route. Mr. J. C. Anderson, general freight and passenger 

 agent of the Company, writes to the American Angler to the 

 effect that, within th 3 past nine years, 2,220,000 trout have been 

 planted by the Company in the Beaverkill, Willowemoc, Never- 

 sink, the east and west branch of the Delaware, and their 

 tributaries. 



We have received vols, xxxix. and xl. of the Proceedings of 

 the Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpoal, containing 

 the principal papers read to the Society during the Sessions 

 1884-85 and 1S85-S6. Among the papers of scientific interest 

 in vol. xxxix. are : " Observations on the Nematocyslsof //)'(i';-a 

 fusca," and "The Relationship of Palaeontology to Biology," 

 by Mr. R. J. H. Gibson ; " On a New Organ of Respiration in 

 the Tunicata," and other papers, by Dr. W. A. Herdman ; two 

 papers on " Technic.d Education," by Mr. F. H. Edwards; 

 "The Armorial Bearings of the Isle of Man, their Origin, 

 History, and Meaning," by Mr. John Newton, and "On the 

 Rocky Mountain Goat," by Mr, T. J. Moore. Vol. xl. con- 

 tains an address on " Modern Scientific Theories of Man," by 

 the President, Dr. William Carter ; " Two Curious Papyri in 

 the Khedivial Museum," by Mr. R. L. Benas ; " Recent Locust 

 Plagues in Cyprus and Norlh America," by Dr. Nevins ; and 

 "Report on a Successful Importation of Living Soles to the 

 United States," by Mr. T. J. Moore. With vol. xl. is bound 

 ' The First Report upon the Fauna of Liverpool Bay and the 

 Neighbouring Seas," written by the members of the Liverpool 

 Marine Biology Committee, and edited by Dr. W. A. Herdman. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Macaque Monkeys (Alacaciis cyno- 

 molgns i i ) from India, presented respectively by Mr. W. 

 Spooner and Mr. F. A. Adeney ; a Purple-faced Monkey 

 [Semnojtitheais Iciicoprymnus i ) from Ceylon, presented by 

 Mr. W. H. Markham ; a Black-tailed Godwit {Limosa ccgo- 

 cephala), British, presented by Mr. Robert Barclay ; a Common 

 Guillemot {Lomvia iroile), British, presented by Mr. Howard 

 Bunn ; a Ring-hals Snake {S-peJon hamachates) from South 

 Africa, presented by Mr. W. L. Holms; a Pinche Monkey 

 {MUlas adipus) from Central Americi, deposited ; two Blue- 

 bonnet Parrakeets [Psephotus haniatogaster) from Australia ; 

 two Blue-crowned Conures {Conurus hamorrhous) from Brazil, 

 purchased; two Viscachas (Lagostointis trichodactyli(s)\ioxn in 

 the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



Baron D'Engelhardt's Observatory.— Baron D'Engel- 

 hardt has recently published the first volume of the results of 

 the astronomical observations obtained at his private observa- 

 tory in Dresden. At first the observatory was erected in the Rue 



Leubnitz, but was found to be too far from the dwelling-house, 

 and in 1879 the present edifice was erected in the Rue Liebig, 

 close to the Baron's residence, with which it is connected by a 

 covered gallery. The observatory is very completely fitted up. 

 The principal instrument is a fine equatorial by Grubb of 1 2 

 inches aperture, replacing one of 8 inches which had been 

 erected in the first observatory. There are two sidereal clocks, 

 a chronograph, a transit-instrument of the bent form, which 

 replaces one by Cook, a very complete Repsold micrometer, ami 

 two comet-seekers of special construction. The conduct of (he 

 screw of the Repsold micrometer has been very carefully investi- 

 gated and the inquiry occupies a dozen pages. The observations 

 are principally micrometer measures of nebulae and star-clusters ; 

 but besides these there are very many observations of comets and 

 minor planets, of the phenomena of Jupiter's satellites and of the 

 new stars in the great nebula of Andromeda and near X\ 

 Ononis, besides meridian observations of the moon and culmin- 

 ator stars. The volume, which is a very handsome one, contains 

 four plates representing different parts of the observatory. The 

 geographical position of the centre of the transit-instrument 

 is given as lat. = 51° 2' 19" N., and long. ;= oh. 54m. 54^745. 

 East from Greenwich. 



New Red Star. — Circular No. 16 of the Liverpool Astro- 

 nomical Society states that on the nights of March 23 and 27 a 

 red star, 7 "5 magnitude, was observed 5s. y and 3' s of 26 Cygni. 

 There is no star in the D.M. at this place. The spectrum of the 

 new star is a fine specimen of type III. Place of 26 Cygni for 

 1S87, R.A. igh. 5Sm. 9s., Decl. 49° 46''9 N. 



The Parallax of 2 1516. — It appears, from the researches 

 of M. O. Struve on the relative motion of the components of this 

 double star, that the fainter star does not participate in the 

 proper motion of the brighter component, and that they there- 

 fore, in all probability, constitute a merely optical pair without 

 physical connexion. Herr Berberich, from a discussion of a 

 series of measures of dist.ances made by Prof. Winnecke, found 

 the relative parallax of the brighter star, compared with tlie 

 fainter component, to be o""i99 ± o"'05 {Astron. Nachr., No. 

 2624). Recently, Dr. L. de Ball has made a series of observa- 

 tions with the equatorial of the Cointe Observatory at Liege, 

 extending from 18S5 April to 18S6 June, for the purpose of 

 determining this quantity. From sixty-seven observations of 

 relative position-.ingle he finds v = o"'09i, and from sixty-four 

 observations of relative distance, ir = o"'ll2, and combining 

 these according to their respective weights, t = o""l04, with 

 mean error ± o" 'OoS. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 



WEEK 1887 APRIL 10-16 



/■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 April 10 



Sunrises, 5h. iSm. ; souths, I2h. Im. 2l'4s. ; sets, iSh. 45m. ; 



decl. on meridian, 7° 56' N. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 



8h. om. 



Moon (at Last Quarter on April 15) rises, 2oh. 34m.*; souths, 



ih. 47m. ; sets, 6h. 50m. ; decl. on meridian, 11° 44' S. 



Planet Rises Souths Sets Decl. on meridi.-in 



Mercury ... 4 42 ... 10 30 



Venus 6 15 ... 13 59 



Mars 5 25 ... 12 14 



Jupiter 19 44* ... o 51 



Saturn 9 46 ... 17 55 



10 iS ... 3 8 S. 



21 43 ... 18 32 N. 



19 3 ... 8 47 N. 



S 58 ... 10 55 S. 



2 4* ... 22 28 N. 



* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening and the setting 

 that of the following morning. 



Occultations of Stars hy the Moon (visible at Greenwich) 



Corresponding 

 A •! c- ■» T-v- n angles from ver- 



Apnl Star Mag. Disap. Reap. te.x to right for 



inverted image 

 h. m. h. m. „ o 



11 ... 49 LibrK 5J ... o 13 near approach 318 — 



12 ... 29 Ophiuchi ... 6 ... I 16 ... 2 19 ... 24 274 

 IS ... 57 S.agittarii ... 5i ... 2 56 ... 4 9 ... 79 238 

 April h. 



15 ... 3 ... Mercury at greatest distance from the Sun. 



