i84 



NATURE 



\_yiine 24, 1880 



Wild Dogs {Cants rutilans) from Sumatra, a Javan Adjutant 

 {Leptoptilusjavanicus) from Java, received in exchange ; a Wapiti 

 Deer (Ceniis canadensis), an Axis Deer (Ccrvus axis], born in 

 the Gardens ; three Siamese Pheasants {Euplocamus pralalus), 

 two Horned Tragopans (Ca-iornis satyra), two Peacock Pheasants 

 {Polyphclron chinquis), four Mandarin Ducks {Aix galericiila/a), 

 four Variegated Sheldrakes (Tadorna varifgata), bred in the 

 Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Kepler's Nova or 1604.' — The vicinity of this object is now 

 favourably situate for observation in the evenings, and it is 

 well worth while to keep a close -ivatch upon one or two small 

 stars near the position deduced for Kepler's object by Prof. 

 Schonfekl from the observations of David Fabricius, which he 

 considered preferable to those of Kepler and his pupils, given 

 in his celebrated work, " De Stella nova in pede Serpentarii," 

 more especially upon a star of the twelfth magnitude, or fainter, 

 observed by Prof. Winnecke in 1875, which is close upon the 

 place of a star of the tenth magnitude inserted on Chacornac's 

 chart, but not afterwards found of this degree of brightness, and 

 which is still more significant, almost exactly in the position of 

 Kepler's object assigned by the observations of Fabricius. The 

 most convenient reference star in this neighbourhood is one 

 meridionally observed by Argelander, No. 16S72 of Oeltzeu's 

 Catalogue, a bright ninth magnitude, the position of which for 

 the beginning of the present year is in R.A. I7h. 23m. S2"25, , 

 N.P.D. 1 11° 23' 22"; Schonfeld's place of Nova 1604 for the 

 same epoch is in R.A. I7h. 23m. 25"9s., N.P.D. in°22'32"; 

 Winnecke's star precedes Argelander's 33 '23., in 2''7 less 

 N.P.D. There is a somewhat brighter star preceding Arge- 

 lander's iS'Ss. with l''6 greater N.P.D., which, after several 

 years' observation, has not exhibited any sensible fluctuation of 

 magnitude. Attention should be chiefly directed to Winnecke's 

 object, and it would be desirable to know its present magnitude, 

 which some reader of this column may have the opportunity of 

 putting upon record ; we would, however, suggest its frequent 

 observation. 



There is no reason to suppose, notwithstanding the name of 

 " temporary stars " which has been attached to them, that either 

 Tycho Erahe's famous star of 1572, Kepler's of 1604, or the 

 less conspicuous star discovered by Anthelm in 1670, have died 

 out ; on the contrary, in all three cases there are now small stars 

 close upon the best positions which we can assign to the objects 

 of those years, in which some fluctuations of brightness have 

 been remarked after very careful observation. 



Westi'H.vl's Comet (1S52 IV). — In Mr. Chamber's usefu^ 

 manual of astronomy there is an oversight with respect to the 

 orbit of the comet discovered by Westphal at Gottingen in June, 

 1852, the elliptic cliaracter of which was first made apparent by 

 the computations of Mr. Marth towards the end of the same 

 year. Elements derived from the earlier calculations are given 

 in place of the definitive orbit deduced by Dr. Axel-MoUer or 

 the similar very completely-investigated orbit by the discoverer ; 

 hence the comet is credited with a period of revolution which is 

 certainly ten years in excess of that belonging to the ellipse in 

 which it was moving during its appearance in 1852. Dr. Axel- 

 Moller's orbit is as follows : — 



Perihelion passage, 1S52, October 127627S G.M.T. 



Longitude of perihelion ... 

 ,, ascending node 



Inclination 



Angle of excentricity 



Log. semi-axis major. 



43 14 8 ) Mean equinox, 

 346 9 49 \ 18520 



40 54 2S 

 66 42 8 '36 

 •1855845 



Motion — direct 

 With these elements we find : — 



Semi-axis major IS'33I5 



,, minor 6'o637 



Excentricity o"9iS4625 



Aphelion distance 29'4I29 



Perihelion distance i'25oi 



Revolution 6o'o3i years 



It is easy to see by what action the comet has been at some 

 past time in all probability fixed in this orbit till similar 

 perturbation recurs. In a true anomaly of 126° 30' after peri- 

 helion or in ecliptical longitude 168° 52', the comet is distant 



from the orbit of Jupiter only 036 of the earth's mean distance 

 from the sun, and so close an approach of the two bodies would 

 .almost certainly result in the impression upon the comet of an 

 orbit, materially differing from that in which it moved previously ; 

 this we know has occurred in several instances since the motions 

 of comets have been rigorously investigated, a notable case being 

 that of Brorsen's comet, which is now moving in an orbit into 

 wliich it was thrown by its encounter with Jupiter in May, 1842. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



In yesterday's Times is a letter from Mr. Thorndike Rice, 

 giving details of the programme of the expedition to Central 

 America, under the leadership of M. Charnay, for the explora- 

 tion of the ancient monuments there, and to which w'C referred 

 some time ago. Casts will be taken of all important bas-reliefs 

 and inscriptions, part of which will be deposited in the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and part sent to Paris. Details of the work 

 of the expedition will be published from time to time in the 

 North American Revieiv. 



Considerable attention is still attracted in Australia to the 

 supposed existence in recent years of a survivor of Leichhardt's 

 great exploring expedition, which disappeared in 1S48. Nume- 

 rous lengthy communications have been published by the Colonial 

 press, which tend to confirm the belief that an aged European, 

 not improbably Classen, as we have before mentioned, was living 

 with the blacks near the Queensland border until some four years 

 ago. A man has also come forward at Sydney and made a 

 curious statement to the effect that he was a tailor on board a 

 steamer which was sent by the South Australian Government in 

 1S67 to take cargo to the Roper River, Gulf of Carpentaria, and 

 that on landing some ten miles to the south of the mouth of that 

 river he met natives who told him that three days journey up the 

 river there was an old white man with a very long beard. The 

 position mentioned would, it is thought, be very near the Elsey, 

 where it has been before suggested that something might be 

 found out about the fate of Leichhardt's party. It is to be 

 regretted that the different persons who have contributed items 

 of information did not come forward sooner with their contribu- 

 tions, however small, towards the solution of this mystery, as it 

 might have been cleared up ere this. 



The s.s. Eira, recently launched, left Peterhead on Saturday 

 morning for the Arctic regions on a voyage of discovery. She 

 has a crew of some twenty-five, and carries a pliotographer, the 

 same who accom;anied Capt. Nares, and a doctor. The steamer 

 has been coaled and provisioned for two years, but her return is 

 expected before that time. 



The Ont.ario correspondent of the Colonies and India states 

 that the construction of the long-talked of railway across the 

 island of Newfoundland has at length been decided upon ; it 

 will be 350 miles long, and •^^■ill be of great benefit to the island. 



In his report on the department of maps, charts, &c., at the 

 British Museum, Mr. Major notes the undermentioned interesting 

 additions during the past year : — A large English chart on parch- 

 ment of the coasts of Brazil and Africa of the early date of 1647, 

 bearing the legend, "made by Nicholas Comberford, dwelling 

 neare to the West end of the Schoole House, at the XX signe of 

 t lie Plat in Radcliffe, anno 1647." Also two illuminated and 

 gilt MS. maps on parchment, the one of the coasts of Florida, 

 New Spain, and Africa (16S8), and the other of the West Indies 

 (169S). These are by Jose da Costa Miranda. Another valuable 

 acquisition is an important plan of Paris in seventy-two sheets,^ 

 constructed by Varniquet, and finished in 1791, after thirty years' 

 labour. 



The new number of the Belgian Geographical Society's 

 Bulletin opens with a paper on the geography of Lake Tan- 

 ganyika, which was prepared by Lieut. -Col. Adan for the 

 committee of the International African Association ; it is illus- 

 trated by .an interesting reproduction on one sheet of various 

 maps, exhibiting the views of cartographers on the shape of the 

 lake. The other papers are by Dr. Litton Forbes on the Island 

 of Rotumah, and by M. A. J. Waufers on the African elephant. 



SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ON THE HABITS OF 



ANTS 

 T N a further contribution of his observations towards elucidating 

 ■*• the economy and habits of these insects, laid before the last 

 meeting of the Linnean Society (June 17), Sir John commenced 



