Oct. 2 1, 1880] 



NA TURE 



593 



Naturalist. In a brief review of the general characters of the 

 vegetation of the country the peculiarities in distribution are 

 pointed out. The arrangement of the trees referred to is not 

 ioased on any scientific principle, the Coniferce being "placed 

 first, as having the greatest importance both from an economic 

 point of view and from the vast extent of country which they 

 cover almost to the exclusion of other trees." Considering the 

 variety of well-known timber trees to be found in British 

 Columbia one is scarcely prepared to find it stated, with regard 

 to the Douglas Fir (Fseiufotsiiga Doiiglasii or AHcs Douglasii), 

 that it is the " most important timber tree of Britisli Columbia, 

 and the only one of which the wood has yet become an article 

 of export on a large scale." The best grown specimens of this 

 noble tree are stated to be found near the coast in proximity to 

 the waters of the many bays and inlets which indent it. In 

 these situations the tree frequently exceeds eight feet in diameter 

 at some considerable height from the gi'ound, the height of the 

 tree itself ranging from 200 to over 300 feet. "The wood varies 

 considerably in appearance and strength according to its locality 

 of growth and other circumstances. It is admirably adapted for 

 all ordinary purposes of construction, and of late has obtained 

 favourable notice in shipbuilding, remaining sound in water for 

 a long time. For spars and masts it is unsurpassed, both as to 

 strength, straightness, and length. Masts for export are usually 

 hewn to octagonal shape from 20 to 32 inches in diameter by 1 20 

 feet long. Yards are generally hewn out from 12 to 24 inches in 

 diameter and 50 to 102 feet long. Masts and spars are generally 

 sent to Great Britain ; other forms of timber to South America, 

 Australia, India, China, and the Sandwich Islands. Of the 

 Thuja gigantca, which in favourable situations on the coast 

 reaches a height of 100 to 150 feet, the pale yellowish or reddish 

 wood is stated to be very durable, though not extensively used 

 except for shingles. The large and elegant canoes of the Indians 

 are made of the hollowed trunks, and the fibre of the inner bark 

 is used for ropes and cordage, as well as for paper-makiog and 

 other purposes. One of the most remarkable uses for a wood is 

 referred to under Finns contorta, where it is said that the 

 cambium layer contains much sugar, and for that reason it is 

 eaten by the natives in the spring of the year, and in some 

 instances large quantities of it are • collected and dried for 

 winter use. 



The Boston Herald gives the following account of an American 

 experiment made on September 2:^" A novel exhibition of 

 powerful electric lights vifas made last evening in the vicinity of 

 the Sea Foam-house, Nantucket Beach, and the display was 

 witnessed by quite a crowd of interested spectators. The 

 Northern Electric Light Company have erected three wooden 

 towers, each 100 feet high, and mounted upon each of these a 

 circular row of twelve electric lights of the Weston patent, each 

 light being estimated at 2,Soo-candle power. As these towers 

 are but 500 feet apart and in a triangle, it will be seen that the 

 light of 90,000 candles was concentrated within a limited territory. 

 Tlie design of the exhibition was to afford a model of the plan 

 contemplated for lighting cities from overhead in vast areas, the 

 estimate being that four towers to a square mile of area, each 

 mounting lights aggregating 9o,ocio-candle power, will suffice to 

 flood the territory about with a light almost equal to midday. 

 Last evening a motive power of thirty-six horses was used in 

 generating the electricity from three Western machines, and the 

 lights, with one single slight flicker, burned steadily and bril- 

 liantly all the evening. It is difficult to say whether the experi- 

 ment proved anything or not. The claim put forward by the 

 company is for an original plan of lighting cities and towns by 

 grouping and elevating electric lights of any kind." 



We have received Part 1 of the Transactions of the Epping 

 Forest and Essex Field Club, containing Mr. llem-y Walker's 

 interesting lecture on " A Day's Elephant Hunting in Essex." 



At the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society the following 

 are among the lectures to be given this winter : — October 20, 

 Prof. Silvanus P. Thompson, D.Sc, " Waves of Sound and the 

 Photophone"; November 16, H. Chfton Sorby, LL.D., F.R.S., 

 " The Structure and Origin of Meteorites and Meteoric Iron " ; 

 December 7, Dr. Sydney H. Vines, "The Nutrition of Plants"; 

 December 21, Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S., "Degenera- 

 tion"; February 15, 1881, Prof. T. E. Thorpe, Ph.D., F.R.S., 

 "The Azores"; March I, J. W. Swan, "The Electric Lightj 

 with Demonstrations." 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 The Binary Star 5 Equulei. — Mr. Burnham pubhshes a 

 new epoch for this star, which there is now good reason to con- 

 clude will prove to be the most rapid revolver amongst the 

 binary systems ; on this account it well deserves the attention 

 which Mr. Burnham claims for it at the hands of tho.^e observers 

 who are in possession of instruments competent to cope with so 

 close a double-star. The duplicity was detected by M. Otto 

 Struve on August 19, 1852, with the Pulkowa refractor, when 

 definition was unusually good, and the components almost equal 

 in m.-ignitude were "a peine separees par une ligne noire." In 

 1853 and 1854 it appeared single in the same instrument. The 

 object was elongated in the summer of 1857, and at the date 

 l85S'59 M. Struve saw the stars separated at moments, and 

 they were again divided in the autumn of 1S74. As is pointed 

 out in the Pulkowa Observations, vol. ix., the case is evidently 

 a similar one to that of 42 Comas Beren., the visual.ray coinciding 

 very nearly with the plane of the orbit, so that the companion 

 appears to oscillate backwards and forwards almost in a right 

 line, and that of very small extent. M. Strave has established 

 the period of revolution of 42 Comce to be only about twenty- 

 five years, but 8 Equulei appears to indicate a period of^ only 

 thirteen or fourteen years. Mr. Burnham finds fi-om five nights' 

 measures with the l8i-inch Chicago refractor, 



1880 -60, Position 29''-i, Distance o"-35. 

 In September, 1870, Duntr remarked of this star : " Oblongue, 

 j'en suis bien sur. Les diametres sont comme 3 : S," and the 

 angle was estimated 8°. The oiJy measures except Mr. Burn- 

 ham's are those of M. Otto Struve. The magnitudes of the 

 components are so nearly equal (the American observer con- 

 sidered there was a difference of only about two or three tenths 

 of a magnitude), that care will be necessary to place the smaller 

 star in its proper quadrant. Mr. Burnham adds: "It seems 

 certain that it is measurable with any good instrument of ten 

 inches aperture and upwards at least one year in every six years," 

 and he believes that it is now near its maximum distance. 



Faye's Comet. — The following positions are extracted from 

 Dr. Axel-MoUer's ephemeris for Berlin midnight : — 



R.A. N.P.D. Log. distance from 



h. m. s. ^ I Earth. Sun. 



Oct 22 ... 22 48 22 ... 88 so'S ... o-oSo6 ... 0-2892 



' 24 ... — 48 58 ... 89 9-8 ... 0-0532 

 26 .. — 49 43 ... 89 27-8 ... 0-0561 ... 0-2855 

 28 ... — 5° 37 ••• 89 45-0 ... 0-0591 

 30 ... — 51 39 ... 90 1-2 ... 0-0623 ... 0-2819 

 Nov. I ... — 52 50 ■•• 90 16-5 ... 0-0656 



3 ... — 54 9 ••■ 90 307 ■•• 0-0691 ... 0-2785 

 5 ••• — 55 37 - 90 43'S •■■ 0-0727 

 7 ... 22 57 2 ... 90 55-9 ... 0-0764 ... 0-2751 

 The comet remains sensibly at the same intensity of light (not 

 far from the maximum of the present appearance) during this 

 period. On October 26 it w ill be within 20' from I Piscium 

 (B.A.C. 7985), and on November 3 very close to 3 Piscium 

 (B.A.C. 8012), stars of the sixth magnitude. 



Hartwig's Comet. — The subjoined places of this comet are 

 from the calculations of Dr. Oppenheim, and are also for Berlin 



midnight : — ,:■•■• 



R.A. N.P.D. Log. distance from 



h m. s. a / Earth. Sun. 



Oct. 22 ... 17 52 I ... 7°6 23-8 ... 0-0582 ... 0-0610 



24 ... 17 58 30 ... 77 "3'o - o'o826 



26 ... 18 4 22 ... 77 S7'3 •■• 0-1057 ... 0-0SS3 



28 ... 18 9 43 ... 78 37'2 ■•■ 0-1276 



30 ... 18 14 39 ... 79 i3'2 ••■ 0-1483 ... 0-1136 



Nov. I ... 18 19 13 ... 79 457 ••• 0-1680 



3 ... 18 23 26 ... So 15-1 ... 0-1868 ... 0-1370 



