Jtily 29, 1880] 



NATURE 



301 



classified mammals when kept by the author as household pets 

 will be both new and interesting to English readers. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Green Monkey [,Cercopith;cus callitriclms) 

 from West Africa, presented by Mr. Fred Peake, F.Z.S. ; a 

 Great Eagle Owl ^Bubo maximus) from Nyland, South Finland, 

 presented" by Mr. Lindsay von Julin ; two Ocellated Turkeys 

 (Mdeagris ocdlata) from Yucatan, Mexico, presented by Mr. W. 

 E. Sibeth; a Crimson-crowned Weaver Bird (EnpUcUs flam- 

 micefs), two Red-backed rdicans (Pelaaims rufescms) from 

 West Africa, two Common Blue Birds {Sia'.ia wilsonii) from 

 North America, two Great Eagle Owls (Bubo maximus) from 

 India, five Four-rayed Snakes {Elaphis qiiatcr-radiatus), a 

 Black-spotted Snake {Elaphis dioiic), a Lacertine Snake (Civlo- 

 pdtis lacertina), four Dahl's Snakes (Zameiiis dahli), thirteen 

 Vivacious Snakes (Tachymenis vivax), a Four-lined Snake 

 {Coluber quadrUineatus—var. leopardinus). South European, 

 deposited ; five Australian Wild Ducks {Anas siiperciliosa), three 

 Garganey Teal (Qiterquedtila drcia), three Common Teal 

 (Qiurqiudula crccca), two Horned Tragopans (Ceriornis satyra), 

 a. Peacock Pheasant (Polyplictron chvupds) a Bronze- winged 

 Pigeon (P/inps chakoplcra), bred in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



Faye's Comet. — The following ephemeris of this comet is 

 for Berlin midnight, and is calculated from elements accurately 

 perturbed to the approaching perihelion passage, which were 

 communicated by Dr. Axel MoUer to the Academy of Sciences 

 at Stockholm in September, 1S7S : — 



R.A. Decl. N. 



Aug. I ... 23 16 14 



3 ... — 16 16 



S ... — i5 X2 



7 ■-■ — 16 3 



9 ■•• — IS 48 



II ... — IS 28 



«3 ■•■ — 15 3 



IS - — 14 33 



17 ■•■ — 13 57 



19 ... — 13 17 



21 ... — 12 31 



23 .. — II 42 



Log. dist. 

 frjm Earth. 



10 35-5 ... 0-1859 



10 40-3 ... 0-1784 



10 44-3 ... 0-1709 



10 472 ... 0-1635 



10 49-2 ... 0-1562 



10 50-2 ... 0-1490 



10 50-r ... 0-1419 



10 48-9 ... 0-1349 



10 46-6 ... 0-12S0 



10 43-2 ... 0-I2I3 



10 386 ... 0-II47 



10 ^2-8 ... 0-1083 



25 ... — 10 47 ... 10 25-8 ... 0-1021 

 27 ... — 9 49 --■ 10 17-5 ... 0-0961 

 29 ... — 8 47 ... 10 S-o ... 0-0903 

 31 ... 23 7 41 ... 9 57-3 ... 0-0S47 

 The theoretical intensity of light at the end of the month will be 

 twice as great as at the beginning, when it somewhat exceeds 

 that corresponding to the last observation at Pulkovva in March, 

 1S66. At the return in 1S73 the comet was observed on four 

 nights only at Marseilles and at Clinton, New York ; the admir- 

 able calculations of Dr. Axel Moller gave positions which 

 exhibited hardly appreciable differences from the observations. 

 In the present year it will be nearest to the earth on October 3 

 (distance = l -09), and perhaps most favourably circumstanced 

 for observation during the last ten days of the same month, 

 though at no time does the intensity of light exceed its value on 

 October 16, 1858, when the comet was last observed at that 

 appearance with the 1 0-inch Berlin refractor. The perihelion 

 passage does not take place until January 22, iSSi, and although 

 Dr. Axel MoUer's ephemeris does not extend beyond the end of 

 the present year, it appears possible that the comet may be 

 observed till quite the end of next Februar)-, when its place will 

 still be commanded on a dark sky-ground, or perhaps later ; 

 indeed, on April 26, when the comet sets three hovu-s after the 

 sun, its intensity of light is equal to that at the last observation 

 at Pulkowa in 1844. 



The Observatory, Chicago. — The "Annual Report of 

 the Board of Directors of the Chicago Astronomical .Society, 

 together with the Report of the Director of the Dearborn 

 Observatory," dated May 13, 1S80, is before us. Diu-ing the 

 preceding year the Observatory had been in charge of Prof. 

 G. W. Hough, formerly of the Dudley Observatory, Albany, 



Prof. Colbert and Mr. S. W. Burnham taking part in the 

 regular work with the iS^inch Alvan-Clark refractor. Mr. 

 Burnham's attention, as in pre%-ious years, was chiefly directed to 

 the measurement of double stars, including the more interesting 

 binary systems and objects beyond the scope of smaller instru- 

 ments, A series of observations of the planet Jupiter was 

 commenced on August 27, 1879, and continued on every fine 

 night till February 11. With a magnifying power of 63S the 

 disk was measured on eight nights by Prof. Hough, and six by 

 Prof. Colbert, the resulting values for ellipticity being respec- 

 tively 1-16-23 and 1-16-73, sensibly smaller than Struve's value, 

 though not differing much from other more recent determina- 

 tions. The measures further showed "the figure of Jupiter's 

 disk to be a true geometrical spheroid." The belt .system during 

 the opposition of 1S79 is indicated by the following numbers, 

 the equatorial diameter at the planet's mean distance being 

 38"-7o, and the polar diameter 36"-32. 



No. 1 



-f 15-10 

 -f 9 -78 



+ s-gs 



2-59; 



v.s! 



No. 5 



- 5-83 



- 6-94 Red spot. 



6 ... - 9-83 



7 - -i3'84 



N. edge of 



equat. belt. 



S. edge of 

 ( equat. belt. 



An examination of which shows that the belts were symmetrically 

 arranged on either side of the equator, the large red spot coin- 

 ciding nearly with belt (5). Prof. Hough remarks that the faint 

 belts are not seen with small instruments, in which there is 

 merely a darkening towards the poles. The middle of the great 

 equatorial belt was subject to gi-adual change in its appearance 

 between September 1 and November I. At first it was made 

 up essentially of three separate belts, approximately of equal 

 width ; gradually it formed in two nearly equal portions with a 

 rift extending through a large part of the planet's circumference. 

 The colour of the equatorial belt was reddish-brown— brick colour. 

 The red spot was studied from September 3 to February 10. 

 Its colour was similar to that of the equatorial belt, but brighter, 

 and appeared sensibly the same when only partially on the disk 

 as when on the centre. The mean value of its length at the 

 centre of the disk was l2"-73, and its breadth 3"-56, for Jupiter's 

 mean distance ; the length appeared to vary to the extent of two 

 second.s, and the breadth about the same amount, but owing to 

 the irregular outline of the object it was difficult to decide 

 whether actual change took place, or whether the discordances in 

 the measures were due to indifferent vision. By observations 

 extending from September 25 to February 10 the time of sidereal 

 rotation was found by Prof. Colbert to be gh. 55m. 34;2s. The 

 diameters of the satellites were measured on three nights with 

 the following results for the planet's mean distance : — 

 I. i"-ii4 ... II. o"-9So ... III. i"-778 ... IV. i'-4S7 

 Prof. Hough states that the two interior satellites of Uranus 

 reported by the Washington observers to be "the most difficult 

 well-known objects in the heavens " can be " readily seen and 

 measured under ordinary atmospheric conditions" with the 

 Chicago refractor : micrometrical observations of Arid were ob- 

 tained°on four nights, Umbrid appears to have been measured on 

 one night only, but the weather was unusually adverse to this 

 class of observations. 



PHYSICAL NOTES 



A SINGULAR phenomenon was seen (accordmg to the Afe 

 York World) recently off the coast of Florida by the oflicers of 

 the brigantine Fortunate. Shortly after dark two columns of 

 fire appeared, seemingly a mile away. They were fifty yards 

 apart and about 500 feet high, arching towards one another at 

 the top, but without meeting. They were of a duU red colour, 

 without sparks ; but the arching portions emitted tremulous rays 

 or streamers of light like those of the aurora. They were visible 

 all ni-'ht, but faded at daybreak. The weather was fine, not a 

 cloud^being seen aU night. The following day there was a gale 

 of wind accompanied by thunder, but no rain. It is not stated 

 in what quarter of the heavens the appearance was seen. Could 

 it have been an aurora ? 



M. Marcel Deprez, the ingenious inventor of many pieces of 

 electrical apparatus, has just brouglit out a new electric motor, m 

 whicli a piston of soft iron is atti'acted up and down in a hollow 

 cylindrical electro-magnetic coil with a motion like that of an 



