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jubilee or festival number of its Proceedings. It was founded in 
1834, at the end of which year it had 27 members, and in 1835 
it was reorganised and called Isis. During the first thirty years 
of its existence the Society was fortunate in having in keeping a 
single president, Dr. Reichenbach, whose lectures were mainly 
instrumental in the formation of the Society. In 1860 the 
twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding was celebrated with 
much ceremony, and as the occasion was also Reichenbach’s 
jubilee, the double event was commemorated by the establish- 
ment of a memorial fund which bore his name, and the income 
from which was to be devoted to the support of a Saxon student 
travelling for zoological investigation. A record was then issued 
of the work of the Society so far ; the number before us carries 
on the story for another twenty-five years, thus completing the 
history of the half century. The 27 members of 1835 have 
swollen to about 465 in 1885, and progress in other directions 
has been in proportion. In addition to the secretary’s record of 
the advances of the last quarter of a century, the Festschrift con- 
tains a paper by Prof. Stelzner on the development of the 
methods of petrographic investigation during the last fifty years, 
and one by Herr Topler on the history of discoveries in electro- 
magnetism and inductional electricity. Most of the remaining 
papers deal with local science, such traces of animals in the coal 
formations of Zwickau, and several others on subjects connected 
chiefly with Dresden and its neighbourhood. The Society starts 
on the second half of the first century of its existence with ample 
vigour and promise of an unlimited lease of existence and activity. 
On May 22, at about 6.30 p.m., a mirage was seen from 
Visby, on the island of Gothland, in the Baltic. It appeared 
out at sea, on the western horizon, and represented a town on 
both sides, surrounded by high forest-clad mountains, which 
seemed to be within a distance of only a few miles. A large 
vessel with three masts lay in front of the town. The mirage 
lasted a couple of minutes, when it suddenly disappeared. 
ONE hundred thousand shad have been reared in the United 
States during the last year, to say nothing of other species of 
fish, the exact number of which it is impossible to compute. It 
will be remembered that the shad was once exceedingly prolific 
in the Thames, but owing to the impure state of the river their 
numerical proportions have decreased to a very large extent. 
The Fish Commissioners of America have acted wisely in 
acclimatising the shad to their own waters, it being a valuable 
fish and easy of cultivation. 
A SHORT time since we commented upon the enormous 
quantities of rats which infested the Health Exhibition, but which 
entirely disappeared shortly after it closed. Soon after the 
present Inventions Exhibition opened, these pests commenced to 
reappear, and their numbers are daily increasing. The authori- 
ties would do well to check their movements before they assume 
gigantic proportions. 
ALTHOUGH the Professorship of Anatomy and Histology at 
the University of Lund- has been twice officially announced 
vacant no applicant has come forward. It will now have to 
remain unoccupied till 1886. 
THE Mexican Government has at length determined to under- 
take a geological survey of the whole country, as far as prac- 
ticable. 10,000 dollars have been assigned for preliminary 
expenses. 
WE have received from Messrs. Theiler and Sons specimens 
of their Universal Pocket Microscope and their Demonstration 
Microscope. The former magnifies 50 diameters, while the 
latter, intended for ‘schools and the drawing-room,” has three 
powers—30, 100, and 150 diameters. They are both very ad- 
mirable contrivances, and should be in the hands of all young 
people. The definition and achromatism of the Demonstration 
Microscope are perfect, 
NATURE 
[ ¥une 4, 1885 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include two Javan Cats (Felis javanensts), a Marbled 
Cat (Felis marmorata) from Malacca, presented by Mr. Frank 
Swettenham ; a Common Marmoset (Hafale jacchus) from 
Brazil, presented by Dr. L. Morgan ; a Slender-billed Cockatoo 
(Cacatua tenuirostris) from Australia, presented by Mrs. E. H. 
Watson ; two Tuatera Lizards (Sphenodon punctata) from New 
Zealand, presented by Prof. T. J. Parker; a Smooth Snake 
(Coronella levis), a Common Viper (Vipera berus), British, pre- 
sented by Mr. W. H. B. Pain; a Slender-billed Cockatoo 
(Cacatua tenuirostris) from Australia, thirteen Tuatera Lizards 
(Sphenodon punctata) from New Zealand, deposited ; an Osprey 
(Pandion haliaetus), caught in the North Sea, purchased ; a 
Darwin’s Rhea (Rhea darwini) from Patagonia, received in 
exchange ; a Hog Deer (Cervus porcinus 6), two Four-horned 
Antelopes (Zeraceros guadricornis), two Prairie Marmots (A7c- 
tomys ludovicianus), two Long-fronted Gerbilles (Gerbz/lus 
longifrons), born in the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THE OBSERVATORY OF ParIs.—Rear-Admiral Mouchez has 
issued his report on the work of this establishment during the 
year 1884. The completion of the re-observation of Lalande’s 
stars has led to a new disposition of the meridian-instruments, 
one of which, on the proposal of M. Leewy, is now occupied 
with the determination of a number of circumpolar stars on his 
new method ; the great meridian-circle and the circle of Gambey 
are still employed for observations of the minor planets, and of 
comparison-stars for planets, comets, and nebulz observed with 
the equatorials. The great telescope of 0°74 m. is still un- 
mounted, no suitable position being available in the present 
state of the grounds of the Observatory. M.Mouchez mentions 
having received communications from the authorities in Algeria, 
referring to the possibility of obtaining from the local budget 
the greater part of the sum that would be required to mount the 
instrument at the Observatory of Algiers on the summit of the 
Boudjaréah—an exceptionally favourable situation, which might 
be visited by the astronomers of the Paris Observatory for 
special observations, but the Council of the latter institution 
have not availed themselves of the proposition, in the hope that 
the equatorial may yet be erected at Paris. Amongst the ob- 
servations made with the instruments in the west tower and the 
Henry equatorial, are many of the satellites of Uranus and 
Neptune, the companion of Sirius, the belts of Uranus, nebulz, 
and double-stars. MM. Henry have been occupied with astro- 
nomical photography during the year, and, as is well known, 
with great success; various clusters of stars have been photo- 
graphed, and M. Mouchez appends to his report a reproduction 
by heliogravure of a plate of the great clusters in Perseus. A 
trace of the motion of the minor planet Pallas was shown after 
an exposure of thirty-five minutes. The important results ob- 
tained by MM. Henry in photographing very small stars in 
those crowded parts of the heavens where the Galaxy crosses the 
ecliptic have been already referred to in this column. Steady 
progress has been made both with the calculations and print- 
ing of the Paris Catalogue of Stars, and it is expected that 
the first volume of both series (star-positions as observed, and 
catalogue) will be completed by the end of the year. Vol. xviii. 
of the AZémoires is finished. The Report further details the 
personal work of the members of the Observatory staff. Amongst 
the additions to the Museum is a portrait of Pons, presented by 
M. Tempel. 
The Report for the year 1884 is preceded by one which enters 
specially into the present condition of a scheme for removing 
the principal instruments in the Observatory to a site where not 
only greater steadiness can be secured in their mounting but 
where the objections of being surrounded by a great city will not 
exist. It appears that the Academy of Sciences have not, so far, 
favoured this scheme. M. Mouchez states very clearly his view 
of the question. 
THE ComMEr TEMPEL-SWIFT (1869-80).—M. Bossert, of 
Paris, is engaged upon the determination of the orbit of this 
comet, which may be expected to reach perihelion again about 
May, 1886, the period of revolution being rather less than 5% 
years. Since the last perihelion passage on November 8, 1880, 
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