196 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



149. S Sagittaeii. — Elements derived by Schonfeld from a few 

 maxima since 1866, and show a difference of about 10 days. Schiapa- 

 relli considers that this star is identical with a "temporary" star 

 which appeared in the year 1690. 



150. h' (51) Sagittaeii. — Discovered to be variable at Cordoba. 

 Very numerous estimates showed a variation from 5-3 to 6'7 m. ; but 

 Dr. Gould suspects that the extremes may be even still wider. He 

 has not been able to determine the period. The star was rated 6 m. 

 by Lacaille, Lalande, and Piazzi ; but Heis rated it 5-4 (= 4-7), and 

 Behrmann 6-5 (5'7). It is not in Argelander's Uranomefria. 



151. E, CxGifi. — This star lies closely sf. 6 Cygni. The Elements 

 are derived by Schonfeld from 8 maxima since 1854, and show irregu- 

 lar faults up to 16 days, but agree with earlier observations. Accord- 

 ing to Pogson, the minimum occurs 155 days before the maximum. 

 A 9 m. star nf. 



152. E'ovA VuxPECULiE. — The Nova of 1670, discovered by Anth elm 

 as 3 m. The position given has been calculated by Schonfeld from 

 the observations of Hevelius and Picard, Within one minute of arc 

 of this place a small star was observed at Greenwich (Position for 

 1875 :— E A 19^^ 42"> 32^-78, I^ P D 62° 59' 15"-4), and there is a 

 suspicion of variability in this star within narrow limits. In August, 

 1872, it was exactlye qual to a star which follows it 12'-5 in E. A., and 

 4'-9 to the north; while in November, 1874, it was certainly fainter 

 by half a magnitude {Nature, June, 1877). 



"With reference to the star 11 Vulpeculae of Elamsteed, supposed 

 to be identical with Anthelm's Nova, Baily could not find that such a 

 star exists, but says, "Under the presumption that it may be a variable 

 and not a lost star, I have preserved its recorded position, with a 

 view of inducing astronomers to look out for it from time to time. . . . 

 The observation in Lalancle's Hist. Celeste, p. 25, evidently does not 

 belong to this star." The position given by Baily for 11 Yulpeculse 

 is, for 1690— 



E. A. 293°43';Decl. 26° 35'. 



According to Hind {Ast. Soc. Mon. Not. Yol. xxi., 1860-61) the 

 suspicious star precedes Lalande 37730 by 25 seconds in E. A., and is 

 23'- 1 south of it. He says that to his eye "there is a hazy ill-defined 

 appearance about it, which is not perceptible in other stars in the 

 same field of view. Mr. Talmage received the same impression; 

 and I may add that Mr. Baxendell, who has examined it with Mr. 

 Worthington's reflector, observed that no adjustment of focus would 

 bring the star up to a sharp focus on June 1st." Hind also remarks 

 that the variable star S Yulpeculas, which follows the star above 

 alluded to (43'-6 and 2'-ll" S.), has been shown to have no proper 



