JULV 9, 1S96J 



A'.-J TURE 



I'Oi'R new volumes have appeareit in the Encyclopedie scien- 

 tifique <les Aide-Memoire series. In one of these — " I.a Spectro- 

 scopie "---I'rof. Julien Lefevre briefly describes the application 

 of s])ectrum analysis to jihysics, chemistry, physiology, and astro- 

 nomy. The ditTerent methods employed for the observation of 

 emission and absorption spectra in the laboratory, the solar 

 spectrum, and the constitution of radial movements of stars are 

 described, and a chapter is devoted to phosphorescence and 

 fluorescence. The study of prisms, spectroscopes, and the 

 theoretical side of the subject is treated in a companion volume — 

 " Spectrometrie-Appareils et Mesures" — in the same series. A 

 third volume recently received is entitled '" .\ttaque des Places," 

 by Lieut. -Colonel E. Hennebert. In it the various methods of 

 besieged and besiegers, in past and present times, are set forth 

 for the instruction of military engineers. MM. H. Moissan and 

 L. Ouvrard have contributed to the series a valuable little volume 

 on nickel — " Le Nickel." They describe in succession the 

 physical and chemical properties of nickel, the principal com- 

 pounds, minerals containing nickel, the metallurgy of nickel, 

 alloys, extraction of nickel by electrolysis, and the principal 

 applications of the metal. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two White-tailed Deer (Cariacus knairiis, 

 <J 9 ) from Canada, presented by Mr. Richard R. Dobell ; a 

 Red-bellied .Squirrel (Sdiirtis varicgala) from Vera Cruz, pre- 

 sented by Mrs. G. Maria Pullen ; a Blue-fronted Amazon 

 (Chrysolis (Cstiva) from South America, presented by Mr. A. E. 

 Corsbie ; a Black-headed Gull (Lonis ridibimdtis), European, 

 presented by Mr. James Boorne ; a Peregrine Falcon (Falco 

 fcrfgriiiiis), caught off the coast of Terra del Fuego, presented 

 by Mr. T. W. Hubble ; two Spotted Salamanders (Salavtandra 

 /iiacu/osa), European, presented by Mr. Philip Gosse ; a 

 Chimpanzee {Anthropopithecus troglodytes), a Temminck's 

 Pangolin {Manis tcniiiiiitcldi) from West Africa, two Ostriches 

 (Struthio came/us, 6 9 ) from Africa, a Blood-breasted Pigeon 

 (Ph/ogtinas criientala) from the Philippine Islands, two llama- 

 dryads {Ophiophagtis e/aps), two Indian Pythons [Python 

 mo/iirus) from India, three Naked-necked Iguanas {Iguana 

 lUlicatissima) from Tropical America, a Great-billed Rhea 

 (Rhea macrorhyncha) from Brazil, deposited ; a Crested Pigeon 

 {Ocyphaps lopholes) from Australia, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Brooics's Periodic Comet. — The following search ephemeris 

 for this interesting comet is from a complete one in Aslr. 

 .Wiih., 3361 : — 



App. R..-\. 



A pp. decl. 



Erightn 



July n ... 223759-13 ... 18 8 5f3 ... i -06 

 15 ••• 39 o"64 ■•• iS 9 52-8 ... 1-14 



■9 •■• 39 35'58 ... iS 12 28-2 ... 1-22 



23 •■. 39 4358 ... iS 16 28-1 ... 1-31 



27 ... 39 24-50 ... iS 21 40-9 ... 1-40 



31 ... 22 38 38 -45 ... -182752-2 ... 1-50 

 Following the above table, the comet should he looked for 

 soon after midnight about 11' north of the 1st mag. star Fomal- 

 liaut, which is on the meridian about 3.30 a.m. 



MAGXrrUDES of Southern- Stars. — In vol. xxxiv. of the 

 Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Hai-oard College, a 

 complete and graphic description is given of the expedition sent 

 out from the observatory at Cambridge, Mass., to South 

 America, in order to extend the work of the Harvard Photo- 

 metry to the stars of the southern hemisphere. Mr. S. I. 

 Bailey, assistant professor of astronomy at the College, was 

 the observer chosen for this duty, and in the report gives an 

 historical account of his journey southward, which began on 

 February 2, 1889, his only companions being his wife and son. 



>•■'»• '393- VOL. 54] 



Guided partly by the information furnished by the inhabitants 

 respecting the meteorological conditions of the country, he at 

 last decided to erect a station in Peru, choo.sing a spot on the 

 summit of a mountain 6600 feet above sea-level, about eight 

 miles north of east from the Chosica station of the Oroya rail- 

 way. The observations have all been taken with the meridian 

 photometer used for the northern stars, described in vol. xxiv. 

 of the Annals. The instrument has two objectives, each of 

 10-5 cm. aperture and 166 and 145 cm. focal length re- 

 spectively. Magnifying powers of twenty-eight and twenty-four 

 diameters were used in the measurenients. The magnitudes 

 have been obtained by comparing each star separately with 

 a Octantis, mag. 5-5, this being the brightest star in the 

 neighbourhood of the south pole. The first series of observ- 

 ations were taken on May 24, 18S9, and for several months 

 after this the weather proved very favourable, the instrument 

 being used on nearly every clear night. As the summer season 

 of the southern hemisphere approached, clouds became more 

 frequent, and at length almost every evening was cloudy. This 

 being so, the instrument was dismounted, and the observers 

 travelled further southwards, remounting the photometer at a 

 mining village called Pampa Central, near \'alparaiso. In 

 March 1890, they returned to Chosica, and again mounted the 

 instrument in its old position, but the weather not proving so 

 suitable as in the previous year, they again removed in Sep- 

 tember, and set up the station at Arequipa. Thus the measures 

 of the various stars have been made at four stations. Follow- 

 ing this introductory description, comes the voluminous 

 catalogue of the magnitudes of 7922 southern stars, arranged 

 on the same plan as the Harvard Photometry for the northern 

 hemisphere. 



Rugby OBSERV.vroRY. — From the report of the Temple 

 Observatory, Rugby, we learn that double-star observations 

 were continued during last year. These observations are in 

 continuation of the series commenced by Messrs. Wilson and 

 Seabroke in 1S71, which now comprises about 5000 complete 

 measures of distance and position angle. The measures have 

 been regularly published. The working list of double stars, 

 which forms part of the report, gives approximate positions and 

 measures for purpose of identification, and will be very useful to 

 other observers who are following the same line of research. 

 The observatory was open on eighty-three nights for the 

 instruction of members of the school. 



Harvard College Observatory. — Prof. Pickering has 

 made the issue of the fifteenth annual report the occasion for 

 furnishing some interesting particulars as to the establishment 

 of Harvard College Observatory, and stating the general policy 

 of the management. One of the statutes states that "the 

 objects of the observatory are to furnish accurate and 

 systematic observations of the heavenly bodies for the advance- 

 ment of astronomical .science, to co-operate in geodetical and 

 nautical surveys, in meteorological and magnetical investigations, 

 to contribute to the improvement of tables useful in navigation, 

 and, in general, to promote the progress of knowledge in 

 astronomy and the kindred sciences." It is noteworthy that no 

 reference is made in the statutes to teaching, and the observatory 

 is therefore primarily an institution of research, although such 

 teaching as does not interfere with the regular work has been 

 undertaken. While precise measures of position have not been 

 neglected, the policy has always been to specially study the 

 physical properties of the stars and other heavenly bodies, since 

 less attention is usually jiaid to such work than to meridian 

 work in most observatories. Accordingly much attention is 

 given to photography, photometry and spectroscopy. Details 

 as to the manner in which the various instruments have been 

 employed are also given. The revision of the stars in the 

 Harvard Photometry has been completed and is ready for 

 publication, and it is worth noting that as many as 322 stars 

 were observed on one occasion in the space of six hours, roughly 

 one a minute ; 107 photographs of the spectrum of S Lyroe 

 have been lent to Prof. Frost for investigation, and this has 

 suggested the possibility of increasing the usefulness of all the 

 photographs which have been taken. Prof. Pickering invites 

 correspondence with astronomers who may desire to borrow any 

 of the photographs, and suggests the investigation of positions, 

 distribution and brightne.ss of stars in clusters, distribution of 

 light in spectra, iieculiar spectra, eclipses of Jupiter's satellites, 

 and lunar mountains. 



