is8 



SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



to the " line of sight " spectroscope, the yellow- 

 ness of the glass in use necessitating such un- 

 desirably long exposures. He has also arranged 

 with Messrs. Zeiss for an additional 24-inch objec- 

 tive prism. With the 7-inch equatorial telescope, 

 in the course of the revision of the Cape Photo- 

 graphic Durchrnusterung, four new variable stars 

 have been discovered, and thirteen previously un- 

 recorded double stars have been detected. The 

 occupations were principally observed with this 

 instrument and the 6-inch. Good progress also 

 has been made with the photographic charting of 

 the sky, but the measurement of the plates has 

 been delayed by the training of additional ob- 

 servers to replace two who had resigned. In the 

 physical laboratory Mr. Lunt has been occupied 

 with investigations on the spectra of oxygen, 

 silicon, aluminium, boron, and sulphur. Xot the 

 least interesting part of the report is that referring 

 to the geodetic survey of South Africa and the 

 determination of the great African arc of meridian, 

 along the 30th degree of longitude east of Green- 

 wich. The whole report is most creditable, more 

 especially when the absence of four of the staff at 

 the seat of the war and the resignation of two ob- 

 servers, are taken into account. For years past Sir 

 David Gill has felt a constant drag in the shape of 

 a vast number of unreduced observations, dating 

 from the period long before he assumed the Direc- 

 torate. The present report gladly records the 

 publication of a Catalogue of 1.905 stars for the 

 equinox 1865, which marks the end of these 

 arrears. 



The Perseids seem to have been somewhat 

 abundant during the present year. 



Nova, 1901, Persei still shows marked variations 

 in brightness, but the period gradually appears to 

 increase and the brightness very slowly decreases. 

 The news comes from Harvard that the lines of its 

 spectrum are identical with those of the Xebula 

 N.G.C. 3918, with the difference that the relative 

 brightness of some of the lines is not the same. 



Spectroscopic Binary Stars. — According to 

 the Atherueum, Dr. A. W. Roberts, of Lovedale, 

 Cape Colony, has been making most useful obser- 

 vations of some southern variable stars of the 

 Algol type. One of these, V. Puppis, appears to 

 ■consist of two bodies of about equal size and 

 brightness revolving around each other apparently 

 in actual contact, there being seemingly no sta- 

 tionary period at either maximum. The other star 

 is R. Pi, Puppis, which varies between 9T and 10 - 8 

 magnitudes in a period of 6 days 10 hours and 20 

 minutes. It seems to consist of two bodies, one 

 three times the diameter of the other, the latter, 

 however, having nearly twice the brightness of the 

 larger, the distance separating the circumferences 

 of the two bodies being about two-thirds of the 

 radius of the orbit. 



Mademoiselle Klumpke, a well-known assist- 

 ant at the Paris Observatory, is reported to be 

 coming to work with Dr. Isaac Roberts, the cele- 

 brated photographer of nebulae and star clusters. 

 She is said to be going to undertake the measure- 

 ment of the plates which have been taken for so 

 many years. The comparison of the older with the 

 more recent plates should be important in estab- 

 lishing the stability or mobility of the nebulae. 

 Dr. Roberts's observatory is at Crowborough, in 

 Sussex, and its chief instrument is a 20-inch silver 

 •on glass equatorial telescope. 



FIELD BOTAXY. 



CONDUCTED BY JAMES SAUNDERS, A.L.S. 



Xarcissus Biflorus.— I have been interested 

 in reading the note upon Narcissus biflorus in 

 Sciexce-Gossip. ante, p. 125. Your correspondent 

 has evidently not seen li Barrs Daffodil Catalogue " 

 for 1901. In all the preceding ones this narcissus 

 has been described as - Narcissus biflorus — Parkin- 

 son's Primrose Peerless Daffodil — a hybrid of 

 Xarcissus tazetta + posticus." In the new list, 

 however, published this autumn, it is simply named 

 ■■Narcissus biflorus— Vrimvose Peerless Daffodil." 

 Mr. William Robinson, in his -'English Flower 

 Garden," writes as follows : " N biflorus is now 

 known to lie a natural hybrid between N. poet ic us 

 and N. tazetta, having been found wild with its 

 parents near Montpellier by Mr. Barr ; and also 

 raised from its parents in the garden by the Rev. 

 Mr. Engleheart. N. biflorus is naturalised in Eng- 

 land and Ireland, and is a native of Europe." Mr. 

 Barr now catalogues the variety found at Mont- 

 pellier separately. Many who, like myself, have 

 found this narcissus growing wild in disticts far 

 removed from gardens have felt very doubtful 

 that it could be a hybrid, as described. To the 

 best of my recollection Gerard mentions it as 

 British in his " Herbal," and all recent writers on 

 our native wild flowers have included it as such. — 

 \_Lady~] C. C. Boston, Lligmy, Moelfre. Anglesey. 



Green Elder Fruit. — I have to-day received 

 some of the green variety of elder fruit from Thorpe, 

 near Ashbourne, referred to in Science-GosSIP, 

 vol. vii. p. 279. The colour of the fruit is yellowish- 

 green and semi-transparent. It looks like rather 

 unripe white currants ; the branches of the cymes 

 are of a much lighter colour than those of the 

 common black form, being of a pale j r ellowish- 

 green. Those of the black form are dull red. The 

 flavour of the green fruit is much the same as the 

 black. I saw some of these trees in the early 

 spring, before the leaves develojDed, growing side 

 by side with the black form, but could not dis- 

 criminate between the varieties. Hooker's " Flora " 

 mentions that the fruit is " rarely green," and 

 Babington's li Manual " " rarely green or white." I 

 think that this variety should have a name given 

 to it, as it seems to be a good form. I enclose a 

 specimen for the Botanical Editor's inspection. — 

 John K. Norvers, Bv/rton-on-Trent, September 13th, 

 1901. 



[I am much obliged for specimens of green fruit 

 of elder which are sent to me. I hope to cultivate 

 them.— J. &] 



STRUCTURAL and PHYSIOLOGICAL BOTAXY. 



CONDUCTED BY HAROLD A. HAIG. 



A Fossil Equisetum. — While in South Wales 

 this summer I picked out of the cliffs at Saunders- 

 foot, in Pembrokeshire, a piece of the stem of an 



