596 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
SUN AND PLANETS FOR FEBRUARY, 1884. 
W. DAWSON, SPICELAND, IND. 
The Sun is approaching the Vernal Equinox — its R. A. being 2ih. om. on 
February ist; and 22h. 48m. on the 29th. During the month he moves north- 
ward from 17° 7' south declination, to 7° 37' S. This change makes February 
29th one hour and eight minutes longer than February ist; the latter being loh. 
2m. in length, and the former iih. lom. long. 
Solar spots are waning somewhat, though they exist in very clever numbers 
yet, (January 17th). 
Mercury is Morning Star and will be at greatest elongation west about the 
middle of February, when it can easily be picked up with an equatorial telescope. 
It will be too far south to be conspicuous to the naked eye. The very bright 
Evening Star in southwest is Venus, and it is now quite worth looking at. The 
same of Jupiter, north of east, — still forming a row with Castor and Pollux. 
Mars is some distance northeast of Jupiter, and may be known by its fiery red- 
ness. Its opposition to the Sun on the ist of February will be appreciated by 
those who have access to very large telescopes, as being a favorable opportunity 
for seeing its tiny moons. Saturn is between Aldebaran and Pleiades — crossing 
the meridian at 7:20 P. M. February ist, and about four minutes earlier each 
day afterward. Uranus is in the southwestern part of Virgo; about 4° west of 
the star Eta. Neptune is still about 10° southwest of Pleiades. 
The 181 2 comet re-discovered by Professor Brooks, September 13, 1863, has 
moved southeast, so as now (January 17), to be in the southwestern sky; and it 
is a fine little naked eye comet. It presents a grand appearance in the telescope 
— a large and very bright nucleus surrounded by a beautiful crown of dense 
hazy light, with a splendid tail 2° long from the side opposite the Sun. It will 
probably disappear in the southern horizon about the end of February. 
GEOLOGY- 
THE FOSSIL FIELDS OF SOUTHERN OREGON. 
CHAS. H. STERNBERG. 
In August, 1877, while working in the Loup Fork Group of northwestern 
Kansas I received orders from Prof. E. D. Cope to go at once to Oregon, to a 
new fossil deposit; I was to keep the locality a secret from all. A day or two 
after I was on the west bound train and there met Mr. S. W. Williston, one of 
Professor Marsh's collectors. He seemed to be on his way to a new locality, and 
