1.^,6 



NA TURE 



[June 6. 1907 



whirh a niicroscopist can pick out diatoms under a non- 

 erecting microscope, where the eye-movements arc opposite 

 in direction to the movements of the hand, showing how 

 readily even the cyc-movement sense of direction can be 

 reversed by habit. 



As interesting contribution to the study of the so-called 

 " addition-compounds " is contained in a paper bv L. 

 Mascarelli and U. Ascoli in the Ga::clta (vol. xxxvii., 

 1, 125). Many aromatic nitro-compounds combine with 

 mercuric chloride or bromide to form " salts " analogous 

 to those obtained from the corresponding iodoxy derivatives. 

 Most of the substances formed in this way are, however, 

 comparatively unstable, undergoing dissociation into their 

 constituents in presence of the ordinary solvents ; none 

 of them has a true molting point. Their formation, how- 

 evy, is clearly demonstrated by the manner in which the 

 melting point of the nitro-compounds varies as the mercuric 

 haloid is added. The salts formed with mercuric chloride 

 are more easily obtained than those derived from mercuric 

 bromide, whilst mercuric iodide fails to give additive com- 

 pounds at all. 



Messrs. A. Gallenkamp ami Co. have sent us a copy 

 of their catalogue of bacteriological and hygienic apparatus. 

 It forms a volume of 260 pages, is profusely illustrated, 

 and every piece of apparatus likely to be of use in labor- 

 atories of bacteriology and hygiene seems to be included. 



Mr. Edward Stanford has published a second edition 

 of his Geological .Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland, based 

 on Reynolds's Geological .Atlas, which was reviewed in 

 Natl're on February 2, 1905 (vol. Ixxi., p. 315). The new 

 edition is, like its predecessor, preceded by descriptions of 

 the geological structure of Great Britain and its counties 

 and of the features observable along the principal lines of 

 railway. Mr. H. B. Woodward, F.R.S., the editor of the 

 atlas, has added to the new edition, however, a sketch of 

 the geological features of Ireland, its counties, and main 

 lines of railway, and this subject is illustrated by geo- 

 logical maps of the country. A full list has been appended 

 of the figured fossils, with indicalions of their zoological 

 position and range in time. 



Mr. Robert Sutton has published a third edition of 

 Air. T. Charters White's handbook for beginners on " The 

 Microscope and How to Use it." Mr. Maurice Amsler 

 has contributed to the new edition a chapter on staining 

 bacteria, and the author has added a chapter on the 

 marine aquarium as a field for microscopical research. The 

 price of the new issue is 35. net. 



A CLASSIFIED list of publications of the Smithsonian 

 Institution available for distribution as an aid to research 

 or study has just been published by the institution. The 

 list contains the titles of about one thousand papers, 

 memoirs, and reports upon scientific subjects, grouped, so 

 far as possible, according to the system of the Inter- 

 national Catalogue of Scientific Literature, and arranged 

 in each group alphabetically according to names of authors. 

 Many of the papers can be obtained upon application by 

 investigators interested in the subjects with which they 

 deal, and others can be purchased at a nominal price from 

 the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S. .A. 



.\notiier new edition — the fifth — of Mr. R. Kearton's 

 " Wild Life at Home " has been published by Messrs. 

 Cassell and Co.. Ltd. The increasing popularity of what 

 Mr. Kearton aptly calls " this new and bloodless form of 

 sport " is a hopeful sign, as likely to lead to an increase 

 of knowledge of the natural surroundings of living animals 

 and their characteristics in the wild state. Mr. Cherry 

 NO. 1962 VOL. 76J 



Kearton's photographs are both remarkable and artistic, 

 and some of them provide abundant evidence that the 

 peaceful sportsman need not lack the excitement which 

 comes from danger to life and limb. The hints given how 

 to study and pholrgraph wild life should prove invaluable 

 to naturalists beginning work in this direction. 



OU/f ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



A New Co.\iet. — .\ telegram from Kiel announces the 

 discovery of a thirteenth-magnitude comet by Prof. 

 Giacobini, at Nice, on June i. 



The comet's position at loh. 54-7m. (Nice M.T.) was 

 R..\. = ioh. 14m. I9-7S., dec. = 4- 24° 4' 41", 

 very near to f Leonis. 



The daily movement is given as + \° 10' in R..\. and 

 — 36' in declination. 



Search-ephemeris for Comet 1900 III. (Giacobini). — .'\ 

 continuation of Herr Scharbe's ephemerides for comet 

 1000 III., during the apparition of 1907, is given in No. 

 4177 (p. II, May 18) of the Astronotnische Nachrichten. 



These ephemerides give the positions, for every eighth 

 day, from May 24 to July 27, for ten different values of 

 the comet's daily movement, the normal argument being 

 that perihelion will be passed on June S. 



Comet 1905 IV. — A further instalment of the ephemeri^ 

 for comet 1905 I\". is given by Prof. Weiss in No. 4177 

 (p. 12, Mav 18) of the Astroiioinische Nachrichten. 



This comet has been under observation for nearly 2^ 

 years, and is now so faint (mag. = 14-0 approx.) that it 

 will only be observed with the largest instruments. The 

 present ephemeris gives the position of the comet at I2h. 

 (M.T. Berlin) for 19070, and e.xtends from June i to 

 .August 12. 



Discovery of a Second .Asteroid near Jupiter. — .An 

 investigation of the orbit of the minor planet 1007 XM, 

 which was discovered by Dr. Kopff at Heidelberg on 

 February 10, has been carried out by Dr. E. Stromgren, 

 and has led to the interesting result that this asteroid 

 is similar to (58S) [1906 T.G.] in that its abnormally great 

 aphelion distance lies in the immediate neighbourhood of 

 Jupiter's orbit. The elements, derived from observations 

 made on February 10, March 11 and 21, and .April 12 and 

 16, are as follows : — 



Epoch 1907 Fchniary 100 (M.T. Berlin). 



M = 335 47 12-3 (p~2'' 8' 23" -6 



c»=i83 51 51-9 "I M = 292" 584 



fl=34' 58 2i-g -I907'0 log ^ = 0722504 

 /= 18 7 16 9 I 



From the above it is seen that the length of the semi- 

 major axis of this planet's orbit is roughly 5-28 astro- 

 nomical units, that of Jupiter being 520. 



This discovery of a second asteroid near Jupiter raises 

 the question as to whether we are just discovering a 

 hitherto unknown group of minor planets which for ages 

 has been retained bv the major planet in the neighbour- 

 hood of his orbit, or are dealing with the harbingers 

 of an extension of the system of minor planets. The 

 importance of answering this question is a further justifi- 

 cation for vigorously prosecuting the apparently endless 

 business of asteroid discovery (^Astroiiomische Nachrichten, 

 No. 4177, p. 13, Mav 18). 



The Eclipse of Janiakv 14, 1007. — The ofificial report of 

 .M. Milan Stefanilv's expedition to Ura-Tjnbe (Russian 

 Turkestan) to observe the total eclipse of the sun which 

 took place on January 14 is published in the Comptes 

 rendus for May 13. His intended observations — like those 

 of MM. Belopolsky, Hansky, and Wittram, who occupied 

 the same station — were prevented by a snowstorm, which 

 commenced on the eve of the eclipse and continued with- 

 out interruption until the evening of January 15. The 

 crescent sun was glimpsed but once, at twelve minutes 

 before third contact. .At the time of totality the darkness 

 was not profound, the earth and sky being of a purplish- 

 blue tint. The parsage of the moon's shadow»on the lower 

 layer of cloud was plainly visible. 



