June 26, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



989 



The species A. verna, virosa, and plialloides 

 were considered as not distinct. 



Amanita junquillea Quel, was illustrated 

 by photographs and specimens and compared 

 with the European forms. The American 

 A. russuloides Pk. was referred here, also the 

 European species A. amici, adnata, and ver- 

 nalis. Photographs and specimens had been 

 seen by Bresadola and Boudier, who verify 

 this conclusion. Specimens of the European 

 form had also been examined. 



Amanita cinerea Bres. was shown to include 

 A. spreta Pk. A. volvata was shown to be 

 the plant referred by Quelet and Bataille to 

 A. coccola Scop. It was also considered the 

 true A. agglutinata of Curtis, and A. taccata 

 as understood by Bresadola. 



Photographs of many forms of A. solitaria 

 and its allies were shown illustrating the dilB- 

 culty of successfully Refining species in this 

 much-confused group. 



Distrihution and Migration of Warhlers at 

 Baleigh: C. S. Brimlet, of Ealeigh. (No 

 abstract furnished.) 



An Adjustable Armillary Sphere — Newly De- 

 signed.- J. F. Lanneau, of Wake Forest 

 College, N. C. 



This paper dealt with a unique piece of 

 apparatus — a light, symmetrical mechanism, 

 built by Wm. Gaertner & Co., Chicago, after 

 Professor Lanneau's design — for class-room 

 use in Wake Forest College. 



Its special feature is the placing of the 

 horizon plane and vertical circles within the 

 celestial circles, and the two concentric sys- 

 tems, mechanically independent, allowing of 

 the real eastward rotation of the former, or 

 of the apparent westward rotation of the 

 latter. 



Some Illustrations. — 1. An aluminum ball 

 at the center represents the sun; and by a 

 simple device a smaller ball revolves around 

 it eastward in the plane of the ecliptic, repre- 

 senting the earth's annual motion. 



2. With central ball representing the earth, 

 to it is securely attached the horizon plane 

 and vertical circles for, say, an observer in 

 latitude 36° north. Clamping the celestial 

 circles in fixed position, the earth-ball with its 



horizon system is easily rotated eastward, 

 showing sunrise and sunset and the rising 

 and setting of moon, stars and planets — these 

 objects being suitably indicated, for any given 

 date, in their apparent places on the celestial 

 framework. Or clamping the horizon in its 

 seemingly fixed position, the celestial circles 

 and objects in place are readily rotated west- 

 ward in accord with familiar appearances. 



3. Altering in latitude the attachment of 

 the horizon plane to the earth-ball, the ap- 

 paratus shows in turn the reality and the ap- 

 pearances to an observer at the equator; or, 

 again, to an observer at the north pole during 

 his six-months' day and his six-months' night. 



4. Some circles and the celestial objects may 

 be variously adjusted and placed for an indefi- 

 nite number of astronomical illustrations. 



5. Selected circles and objects may be duly 

 disposed to facilitate apprehension and solu- 

 tion of numerous celestial problems — and, of 

 problems also in geodesy and navigation which 

 involve the ever-recurring " astronomical tri- 

 angle." 



Question and Answer. — Are the earth and 

 sun at the center? They are not held to be 

 at the center of the myriad stars of the visible 

 universe. They are at the center of the 

 " celestial sphere," conceived of as every- 

 where equidistant from the earth; so distant 

 as to be beyond the remotest star. Its quasi 

 reality is that vast shell of void space beyond 

 the stars, upon which as a dark, spherical 

 background all the stars appear fixed as viewed 

 from the central earth. So measureless its 

 remoteness, any point within the earth's com.- 

 paratively little orbit, including the sun, is 

 virtually its center. This " celestial sphere," 

 with sun or earth as center, is the basis of 

 practical astronomy. Its standard circles in 

 miniature are part of our armillary sphere. 



Concerning Sclerotinose of Lettuce: F. L. 

 Stevens and J. G-. Hall, of the North Car- 

 olina Experiment Station, Ealeigh. 

 The term sclerotinose was proposed as a 

 designation for diseases caused by Sclerotinia, 

 and sclerotinose of lettuce was characterized 

 as one form of lettuce drop caused by S. 

 lihertiana. 



