SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



49 



Science. (New York, March 8th.) — In Current 

 Notes on Anthropology, Mr. D. G. Brinton draws atten- 

 tion, among many other subjects, to Dr. Eugene 

 R. Corson's essay upon the relative mortality of 

 the white and black races in the Southern States 

 of North America. From his own observations at 

 Savannah and elsewhere, and from the census 

 statistics, he concludes that pure blacks have a 

 decidedly higher mortality than whites. More die 

 in childbirth ; they are more susceptible to disease, 

 and they succumb more quickly. They are prone 

 to bacillar diseases, and their alleged exemption 

 from malaria is not generally true. Hybrids between 

 the races are less fertile and less viable than either. 

 In a paper reported, read before the American 

 Society of Naturalists at Baltimore on Decem- 

 ber 28th last, entitled, Laboratory Teaching of Large 

 Classes, by Hermon C. Bumpus, of the Brown 

 University, the author points out the large and 

 increasing attendance at science classes in America. 

 He protests against the classes being frequently too 

 large for individuals to gain sufficient attention 

 from the teacher. "To crowd a score or more 

 of katabolic youths into a small room and compel 

 them to breathe the fumes of stale alcohol for two 

 or three hours is to invite failure. Each student 

 should have a table to himself, where there is good 

 light and where he feels a certain amount of pro- 

 prietorship," He should " not be tempted to carry 

 on a clandestine parasitism, or even a symbiotic 

 existence with his neighbours." Notes on the Biology 

 of the Lobster, by Francis H. Herrick, is an article 

 full of interest. " Lobsters become mature when 

 measuring from seven and a half to twelve inches 

 in length. Very few under nine inches long ever 

 lay eggs, but a few have reached ten and a half 

 inches long before doing so. Anatomical evidence 

 shows that the period at which lobsters become 

 mature is a variable one, extending over several 

 years. The adult lobster is not an annual spawner, 

 but produces eggs once in two years. In a catch 

 of 2,657 lobsters . . . the sexes were very nearly 

 equally divided, and about one-fifth of the mature 

 females carried eggs." Lobsters are found to grow 

 slowly, a ten-inch specimen being estimated at four 

 to five years old. 



La Nature (Paris, March 16th, 1S95). The last 

 number of this journal received contains several 

 articles of interest. Notice is taken of an exces- 

 sively rare little volume published as a souvenir of 

 the severe winter of 1784, and a quaint illustration 

 is reproduced of a snow-pyramid erected in honour 

 of Louis XVI. in Paris. The Mctalization of 

 Aluminium is treated by Mons. A. M. Villon. An 

 important article on the Fossil Insects of the Coal 

 Period will be found very useful, especially to 

 neuropterists. An illustrated account is given of 

 An Excursion to Saint Mihiel, a pretty little town in 

 North-eastern France, on the Meuse. A photograph 

 of the Devil's Table, a large rock in shape not 

 unlike a huge stone fungus of the genus Boletus, is 

 reproduced; as are also the " Seven Rocks" of 

 Capucins at Saint Mihiel. 



1895. 

 April 1 



Moon 



Mercury... 



Venus 



Jupiter 



Saturn 



Uranus 



Neptune 



1st Qr. 

 Last Qr, 



Rises. 



h.m. 



A.M. 



... 5.38 . 

 ... 5.1C . 



• •■ 4-54 ■ 

 Souths. 



P.M. 



■• 5-5 • 

 .. 11.29 • 



Rises. 



A.M. 

 .. 2.21 . 



.. 47 .. 



A.M. 

 .. 5-3 . 



... 4-55 • 



.. 4-43 • 

 Souths. 

 p M. 



... i-53 • 



.. 2.2 . 



.. 2.12 . 



.. 4-27 . 



.. 4-14 • 



... 4-1 • 



P.M. 

 .. 5-12 ., 



.. 4.42 .. 



.. 4-3 •• 

 Rises. 



P.M. 



.. 8.24 .. 



P.M. 



• • 7-43 ■■ 

 .. 6.52 .. 



P.M. 

 .. 9.54 .. 



Souths. 



P.M. 

 .. 4.10 .. 



Sets. 



h.m. 



P.M 

 . 6.30 



. 0.47 



. 7-3 

 Sets. 



A.M. 



. 2.15 



. 4 59 

 Souths. 



A.M. 



• 5-44 

 . 10.45 



A.M. 

 . 10.31 

 . IO.47 

 . II. II 



Sets. 



P.M. 



. 9-17 

 . 948 

 . 10.19 

 . 12.51 , 

 . 12.41 , 

 . 12.29 



A.M. 



. i-33 . 



P.M. 

 12.59 ■ 

 12.24 • 



Souths. 



A.M. 



1.36 . 



P.M. 

 . 12.5+ ■ 

 128 . 



A.M. 

 . 2.27 , 



Sets. 



P.M. 

 12.10 . 



Position at Noon. 



R.A. 

 h.m. 

 0*42 

 1. 19 

 1.56 



Dec. 



4° 33' N. 

 8° 20' 

 li° 52' 



23-9 

 0-3 



i-5 



2.31 ... 



3-19 ... 



4.9 ». 



5-6 ... 



5-32 ... 



5-53 ... 



5-55 



6.0 



6.8 



7° 53' S. 



2° 28' 



4° 45' N. 



15 7' N. 



1 9 4' 



22° 13' 



24° 25' N. 

 24 49' 

 24° 57' 



23 28' N. 



23 29' 



23" 29' 



14.17 ... io° 49' S. 



14.14 

 14.11 



10° 36' 



if 14' S. 



4.49 ... 20 59' N. 



Moon's Phases. 



.. Apr. 2 

 .. ,, 16 



9.28 p.m. 

 11.22 p.m. 



Full ... Apr. 9 

 24 



1.43 p.m. 

 1. 11 a.m. 



New 



Meteors. — There will be a large shower of 

 meteors on the 20th of April, which will be well 

 worth watching if the weather is favourable. The 

 radiant point is a 270 8 + 33 . 



Venus is very well situated for observation 

 She is an evening star, and towards the end of the 

 month does not set until more than three hours 

 later than the Sun. Her diameter is increasing, 

 and also her north declination. 



Saturn will be coming well into view this 

 month, as he is in opposition to the Sun on the 

 24th. His declination is considerably south, so 

 observations should be made as near the meridian 

 as possible. The ring system is opening out. 



At most stations the weather was very favour- 

 able for observing the total eclipss of the Moon in 

 the early hours of the morning of Monday, March 

 nth. The occultation of a large number of small 

 stars was visible, and the Moon itself was clearly 

 to be seen throughout the totality. The coppery 

 tinge of the Moon's surface was very pronounced, 

 but several observers noted that the copper colour 

 was much less marked when seen through a 

 powerful telescope than when viewed with the 

 naked eye or with only a field-glass. 



