454 



NATURE 



{Sept. 9, 



lubO 



Herr Handelmann, at the third sitting, read a valuable paper 

 upon the prehistoric fortresses and earthworks of which traces 

 remain in the Schleswig-Holstein district. This was followed 

 by an address from Dr. Koehl respecting the excavations and 

 prehistoric discoveries that had been made at Meckenheim, 

 near Bonn. Dr. Mehlis, Herr von Jazdzewski, and others also 

 addressed the meeting. 



On the following day, August 9, Dr. Kollmann laid before 

 the Society numerous important statistics with reference to the 

 ethnology of Switzerland, and in connection with the division of 

 blond and brunette types, showing where such division may be 

 found to occur. Dr. Tischler's paper upon recent prehistoric 

 discoveries made at Dolkeim, in East Prussia, was also listened 

 to with very great interest. 



At the fifth sitting, Herr Fraas, speaking on behalf of the 

 Cartographical Commission, proceeded to show in how far this 

 institution had been of service to the cause of anthropology ; he 

 also dwelt upon the need for drawing up accurate maps of the 

 different districts and localities in which prehistoric discoveries 

 had been or would be made. 



Pfarrer Dahlem of Ratisbon afterwards addressed the assembly, 

 his subject being, Ratisbon in its relation to archaeology past 

 and present. Speaking of the antiquity of the town, he 

 rejected as fabulous the belief of chroniclers that it had ben 

 built before the foundation of Rome, or even of Troy, although 

 its early existence is proved by two old Roman finds, the one a 

 military diploma of the time of Marcus Aurelius, dating fron) 

 A.D. 166, and the other a large block of stone three metres in 

 length and one metre in height, being a fragment of the porta 

 principalis of the city. The inscription on this latter clearly sets 

 forth that Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus had erectei 

 the vallum cum portis et turrihus. As this inscription, from the 

 titles given to the Emperor, was engraved upon the gate either 

 immediately before or closely following the death of Marcus 

 Aurelius, it is indisputable that in the years preceding that time, 

 between about A.D. 170 and iSo, the town wai built by one of 

 the three legions that the Roman Emperor had recruited from 

 Italy in order to quell an invasion in that part of Germany now 

 termed Bavaria. That this was the probable date may be inferred 

 from the belief that the inscription would surely not have been 

 added until the whole were completed. The lecturer clearly 

 showed that Ratisbon was a town of very gi-eat historic 

 interest ; the choice of it as a meeting-ground for the next annual 

 conference of the German Anthropological Society is thus in 

 every a\ ay a most desirable one. 



At the sixtli sitting, Prof. Bastian, who was warmly welcomed 

 by his colleagues upon his return from a two years' period of 

 travel, delivered a very eloquent address, in which he pointed 

 out the many difficulties in connection w ith the study of ethno- 

 logy and anthropology, and warned his hearers against drawing 

 a priori conclusions in dealing witli a science that needed such 

 minute and careful research, where the field was so vast, so limit- 

 less a one, and where no clue, however sli'jht, could ever afford 

 to be lightly set aside. " We are occuj i:- 1 to-day," said he, in 

 conclusion, " with a science that as yet is in its cradle, one over 

 which the shadow of many centuries must sweep ere it can reach 

 manhood, but which will then clearly and completely set forth 

 that which has been termed ' the knowledge of man about man,' 

 a science which, though it does not solve the deepest problems 

 of our existence, will yet throw a partial light upon them. And 

 in its construction we are merely builders and masons, content if 

 we may but do our humble part towards this one object, the 

 completion of so great and wonderful a work." 



After speeches by Dr. Henning, Dr. Montelius, and others, 

 Prof. Undset of Christiania gave an interesting account of the 

 recently-discovered Viking ship that has been excavated from a 

 large buiying-mound at Sandefjbrd, in the vicinity of Christiania. 

 The mnund in question has always bien termed " The King's 

 Mound " {Konr^iliiigcl), and until last winter no excavations had 

 ever been attempted there. Under ihe superintendence of Prof. 

 Nicolay>en, however, operations were then commenced, which 

 resulted in a most interesting and extraordinary discovery. 

 Beneath the hill was found a large ship, seventy-five feet in length, 

 sixteen feet in breadth, and about seven or eight feet in depth. 

 In it a kmd of vault had been built, wherein were deposited 

 the remains of some valiant sea-king who, may be, had won 

 his people's love and reverence. The ship had been buried fully 

 rigged, with masts, cordage, sails and rudder all complete, the 

 entire timbers being in a wonderful state of pre.-ervation, owing 

 to the fortunate circumstance that the mound had been con- 



structed of a moist clay. In all its details the vessel appears to- 

 have been most beautifully finished, and there is no lack of 

 ornamentation. In the hold, together with the human remains, 

 were found the bones of several horses and dogs thr\t had evi- 

 dently been buried with their master. Prof. Undset considered 

 that the burial must have taken place some time during the tenth 

 century. The ship was conveyed to Christiania, where it 

 was at once placed in the University Museum for Prehistoric 

 Antiquities in that city. Several photographs have been taken 

 of it, and the results of further investigation and research re- 

 specting it will shortly be published in a longer and more 

 detailed form. 



Herr Ranke then delivered an address upon tbe prehistoric 

 discoveries that had been made in the caves of Upper Franconia ; 

 and Prof. Schaaffhausen of Bonn also spoke with reference to 

 important researches made in the caves at Gerolstein, at Let- 

 mathe, and Eiserfey. The interest of this sitting — the final one 

 — centred in the speech of Herr Brugsch Eey, the distinguished 

 Egyptologist, who, in the course of it, pointed to Egypt as a 

 rich and valuable field for prehistoric research. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Southern Variable Stars. — In the Vranomdria Argentina 

 amongst the large number of stars indicated as variable, we find 

 twelve to which Dr. Gould has applied the letters of Argelander's 

 nomenclature, their fluctuations having been determined with 

 greater certainty than some others. The following is a list of 

 these objects arranged in order of right ascension : — 



No. 



Na 



R..4. 1875. N.P.D. 1875. Limits of 



h. m. s. o , Variation, 



.. I 21 13 ... 123 IIS - S'8-77 



.. 4 49 42 ... 106 372 ... S"4-6'o 



.. 4 54 7 ■•• 102 43-4 ... 4i-sf 



.. 7 36 2 ... 121 22'3 ... 6J-74 



.. 9 29 6 ... 152 i4'2 ... 4I-10 



.. 10 I 27 ... 141 34-8 ... 64-7i 



.. 10 4 22 ... 127 7-1 ... 64-8 



.. 10 5 23 ... 150 s6'3 ... 6i-9 



.. 10 so 18 ... 149 SI '2 ... 6j-6| 



.. 12 34 28 ... 158 43-3 ... 6-6-7-4 



•• 14 7 35 ••• 149 i9"8 ••• 6-10 



1 ... R Sculptoris 



2 ... R Eridani ... 



3 ... S Eridani ... 



4 ... R Puppis 



5 ... R Carinae 



6 ... R Velorum .. 



7 ... R Antlias 

 S ... S Carinae 

 9 ... T CarinjE 



10 ... R Muscat 



11 ... R Centauri .. 



12 ... R Triang. Aust. ... 15 8 37 ... 156 2"I ... 6'6-7'5 



1. Gould describes this as "one of the most brilliantly coloured 

 stars in the heavens" — an intense scarlet, which remains ur^ 

 changed through all the stages of its light. Maxima occurred 

 early in December, 1872, and in January, 1S74. Period about 

 207 days with symmetric light-curve. 



2. Variation independently shown by the estimates of three 

 observers, to the extent of more than half a magnitude ; red. 



3. 64 Eridani — " certainly variable ; " Bessel calls it Sm. in 

 his zones, which Gould conjectures may be owing to clouds, or 

 ? a misprint. 



4. Though appearing to the naked eye and even with the 

 opera glass as a single star is in fact a cluster of faint stars 

 = 3094 of Herschel's Cape Catalogue. There is only one star 

 in it brighter than 8i, and Gould assumes that the variations of 

 brilliancy are due to this star alone. The object is Lacaille 

 2916. 



5. Lacaille 3932, noted by him 7m. on March 3, 1752. The 

 intervals between the maxima determined at Cordoba, are 

 respectively 329, 306, and 323 days ; the minimum appears to 

 take place considerably more than half a period later than the 

 maximum ; red in all stages even while at the tenth magnitude. 

 No epoch of maximum is given, 



6. R Vel.irum. The variable character is beyond question. 

 It is Lacaille 4156. 



7. R Antlirs. Estimated near the brighter limit March 19, 

 1871, and in May, 1872; near the fainter one April 28, 1873, 

 and June 14, 1874, 



8. S Carina;, A reddi.sh star, Lacaille 4189. On May 21, 

 1874, it was 6-3, and in May, 1877, 8f, but sufficient observa- 

 tions have not yet been made to determine the law of variation. 



9. T Carina;. Period not yet ascertained. Lacaille 4S30. 



10. R. Muscce. Varies through nearly a magnitude in not far 

 from 2lh. 20m., the minima preceding the maxima by nine 

 hours ; its period is therefore the shortest yet detected amongst 

 the variables, and it becomes an object of unusual interest. At 

 midnight on September 25, 1872, the star was estimated equal 



