I20 



NATURE 



\yune lo, 1880 



eye the evening before at conjunction, save that clouds inter- 

 vened. And this one day added to the twenty days actually 

 recorded would make the period of visibility on this occasion 

 three full weeks. 



At the brightest the planet was fully equal to a ist magnitude 

 star, and for more than a week as bright as a Arietis, two hours 

 to the east of it, with which I frequently compared it. It wa:i 

 brighter than Saturn (also in the twilight) for several evenings, 

 and was seen casually, as any other star would be seen, as I 

 came up town from business, for more than a week. As a friend 

 of mine remarked, "it could be seen with half an eye." 



As regards the earlier observations of the table, it will be 

 noted that the planet was seen for thirteen days in the spring of 

 1877, though first looked for only five days before it reached it; 

 greatest eastern elongation. It was again beautifully seen several 

 mornings near the close of September, 1S78, coming twice into 

 conjunction with Venus during that time, though the observa- 

 tions were not continued so as to try how long it could be 

 followed. 



Finally, in January, 1879, though the position of the ecliptic 

 was not favourable, an elongation of over 24° and splendid skies 

 enabled me to follow Mercury for twenty-two days in succession, 

 or while he made a full one-fourth of a revolution round the sun ! 



If any interest attaches to this communication it « ill surely 

 not be from a 6U]3erfluous attempt to show that Mercury at special 

 times becomes visible to the naked eye ; but rather from its 

 giving certain definite facts as to the exact length of tune the 

 planet has been observed, at the several apparitions indicated. 

 The astronomical conditions of these returns of the planet may 

 be made out with the help of an ephemeris and a celestial globe. 

 I need only add that the observations were made in a climate 

 where hours favourable for astronomical work may frequently be 

 numbered by the hundred monthly, and own that the conditions 

 of sky and atmosphere under which they were made were 

 generally favourable to the best results. T. D. Sl.MONTON 



St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A., May I 



Specialised and United Palaeontological Research 



In your report of Prof. Huxley's lecture on " The Coming of 

 Age of the Origin of Species" there was one sentence which 

 was pregnant \\\\\\ imjiort to every true devotee of natural history 

 and to every believer in the doctrine of evolution, to %vit, thai 

 " primary and direct evidence in favour of evolution can be 

 furnished only by paleontology." 



ICnowing tliat this is so, I ask, Do there exist amongst all our 

 scientific associations delegated committees whose function it is 

 to watch and foster palaeontological research by every possible 

 means ? Seeing that so much depends on this kind of evidence, 

 it is surprising that we hear so little of [the results of any united 

 efforts in this direction. What we generally hear of are the out- 

 come mostly of private and individual inquiry. And since so 

 much has already been done in this field of investigation by mere 

 individual effort that the " missing links" between widely sepa- 

 rated groups of the liigher mammalia (not including man) have 

 been discovered so abundantly that it can be said with respect to 

 these, in the words of Prof. Huxley, "Evolution is no longer a 

 speculation, but a statement of historical fact " — since this is the 

 result of private and individual effort, what might not be achieved 

 by united and organised research ! 



It is a truism that division of labour is the best means of 

 specialising and perfecting any work, and an equally trite saying, 

 that "union is strength ; " yet in this, one of the most important 

 of all the fields of biological study, we do not hear of a pakuon- 

 tological society or committee. 



What could such a society or committee effect? it may be 

 asked. Would it be expected to take hammer, pickaxe and 

 spade in hand and wander over the wide world in exploration ? 

 Certainly not. But remaining at home, it could direct the efforts 

 of private explorers, delegate officers of its own, equipped with 

 the means of questioning the geological record in different parts 

 of the globe, unite with kindred associations in solving problems 

 too arduous for the single resources cf one society, dividing alike 

 the expenses and the spoil. .Surely it would gratify the heart of 

 every naturalist to learn if palix-ontological research had assumed 

 this serious and energetic form. 



How many opportunities are allowed to slip that might be 

 turned to excellent account ! Wars are carried on in countries 

 as yet geologically unexplored, and for want of such a society as 

 I have named there has been no one employed to accomj^any our 



armies in tlie cause of this branch of science. Railways and 

 otiier engineering works have been carried out in such regions, 

 but no one has been employed to watch the operations in the 

 name of pala:ontology. Travellers go and return without having 

 been furnished with data to guide researches that might have 

 been intelligently prosecuted in the cause of science. 



Will not our leaders in natural science arouse themselves to 

 organised and specialised research in this all-important field of 

 palaeontology? W. S. Duncan 



Stafford, May 29 



The Meteorology of South Australia 



[We have been asked to publish the follo\^'ing correspondence 

 on an article on this subject in Nature, vol. xxi. p. 281.] 



South Australia, the Treasury, Adelaide, 

 April IS, 1880 

 Sir, — I have to thank you for the extract from Nature, 

 inclosed in your despatch No. 7,842, dated January 31 last, 

 which was duly referred to the Honorable the Minister of Edu- 

 cation, and has been perused by the Postmaster-General, &c., 

 and observer, Mr. Todd, C.M.G., a copy of whose observations 

 and remarks upon this subject I now forward for your iirformatiou 

 and that of the Editor of NATURE. I am, sir, your obedient 

 servant, (Signed) C. Mann 



Sir Arthur Blyth, K.C.M.G., Agent-General for 

 South Australia, London 



Post and Telegraph Department 

 Memo, on Letter from Agent- General 

 Meteorological Observations 

 The writer of the article in Nature had evidently not received 

 the volume for 1S7S, but only the monthly numbers. In the 

 volume, as the Agent-General, to whom I have sent a copy, will 

 see, I have given the results of the observations at Port Darwin, 

 Alice Springs, Eucla, Cape Borda, Mount Gambler, and Cape 

 Northumberland. As the IWinister is aware, I have recom- 

 mended that instruments should be supplied to several additional 

 places, which will really give effect to what the \\riter in 

 N.A.TURE very properly urges. The extent and form in which 

 the observations made at our institutions should be published 

 require consideration on the score of economy of printing ; and, 

 as the Minister is aware, the observatory is altogether under- 

 manned for the work now done, and if it were not for my own 

 personal exertions in doing that which might be intrusted to 

 assistants, we could not do what is done. With regard to the 

 other suggestion, I had previously decided on correlating the 

 rainfall and wheat-yield in different districts, in addition to the 

 table, which takes the colony as a whole, now given. 



The form in which our observations are published and dis- 

 cussed appears to give general satisfaction, and this will be 

 greatly increased when we have the continuous self-recording 

 instruments I have recommended should be obtained. 

 April 4 (Signed) C. Todd 



P. M. G. and Supt. T. 

 [Mr. Todd is correct in supposing that the volume for 1878 

 was not before us — not having been then received — in writing the 

 article on tlie "Meteorology of South Australia" in Nature, 

 vol. xxi. p. 281, but only the monthly numbers. The volume 

 has, however, been received quite recently, which, in view of 

 the highly important additions it contains, referred to by Mr. 

 Todd, we shall take an' early opportunity of noticing. It gives 

 us the highest satisfaction to learn that of the two points we 

 drew attention to half a year ago, the one relating to the esta- 

 blishment of additional stations had not only been resolved on, 

 but actually carried out in the beginning of 1S78, and as regards 

 the other one, refen-ing to the correlating of the rainfall andithe 

 wheat-yield in different districts, in addition to the table which 

 deals with the colony as a whole, it had previously been decided 

 by Mr. Todd to discuss the data in the manner suggested.— Ed.] 



Comparative Curves in Terrestrial Magnetism 



As the comparison of curves obtained at distant stations is at 

 present one of the most important desiderata for the study of 

 terrestrial magnetism, I forward to you traces of two photo- 

 graphs obtained on March 17 last at Vienna and at Stonyhurst. 

 The storm is a remarkable one, and the curves offer a striking 

 illustration of the simultaneous action of the disturbing force on 



