212 



NA TURE 



\yuly*i6, 1874 



THE COMET 



aspect, in order that the striking differences between 

 the present comet and former ones may be appre- 



WE have received from Mr. Lockyer, who has been hended. 

 observing the comet with Mr. Newall's 25-inch re- [ His observations, to which we hope to refer at some 

 ractor, the accompanying rough sketch of its general 1 length, extended over several hours on Sunday and 

 appearance in that instrument. The drawing he states j Tuesday nights, and great changes were observed, 

 is only intended to show the features in their most general j One of the new observations made was that a photo- 



i.d Eiivtjiopcs of Cog 



1 Mr. N ewrtll's 25-inch RciVactor on ihe night 01 J uly j 



graphic plate exposed for ten minutes gave no results on 

 the comet, while the dimmest of the seven s;ars in the 

 Great Bear, inferior to the comet in biightness, recorded 

 itself in two minutes' exposuie. 



It is hoped that the observations, made under first-rate 

 atmospheric conditions, with the magnihceni; instrument 

 with which Mr. Newall has endowed Bi tish Abtronomy, 

 will throw light upon comctary structuie, and help to 

 clear up many anomalies. 



JASPER'S "BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA "* 



A SHORT time ago we gave our renders some account 

 ■^*- of the important work of the "Birds of North 

 America," lately issued by Prof. Baird with the co-opera- 

 tion of some of the principal naturalists of the United 

 .States. It has just come to our knowledge that a rival 

 work has been started with nearly the same title, con- 

 cerning which it may be useful to such of our readers as 

 turn their studies in an ornithological direction that we 

 should say a few words. 



jasper's "Birds of North America " appears to have 

 been started by an enterprising publisher at Columbus, 

 Ohio, " to meet a common want and gratify a universal 



* "The Uirdsof North America, drawn from life .md uniformly reduced to 

 one-quarter their natural siie," by Dr. Theodore Jasper. In 4to. parts. 

 Columbus, Ohio, i?73-74.) 



taste." It is issued in numbers, the first of which bears 

 date Nov. i, 1873. It is to contain coloured figures and 

 descriptions of over 600 species, and a popular account of 

 their habits and manners — likewise a general outline of 

 the science of ornithology — all from the pen and pencil 

 of Dr. Theodore Jasper, " who has made the study of 

 ornithology the business of his life." 



Now we have no desire at all to interfere with Mr. Jacob 

 H. Studer's under;aking. We quite agree w-ith Mr. 

 Studer's notions that a knowledge of American birds is 

 or should be a " common want," and we are also of 

 opinion that a " universal taste " should be gratified if 

 possible. At the same time we must be allowed to say, 

 after examining what has yet appeared of Mr. Jasper's 

 work, that, in our judgment, those who wish to become 

 well acquainted with American ornithology had better 

 consult Prof. Baird's volumes. ]\Ir. Jasper, it is true, 

 furnishes coloured figures of every species or proposes to 

 do so. But these, prepared by chromolithography or some 

 similar process, are not sufficiently carefully coloured for 

 the discrimin.ition of specific diflerenccs — at any rate as 

 regards the smaller birds. And in every other particular 

 Baird's " American Birds "is far superior. Mr. Jasper's 

 work can indeed be hardly placed in the same category, 

 the author being obviously acquainted with little more than 

 the results of his own experience, whilst Prof. Baird and 

 his coadjutors are fully up to the level of modern 

 science. 



