322 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



1^0.87. x' PoEi^Acis (= Lacaille 1101).— 6 Lacaille ; 6-2 Gould. 

 The Cordoba estimates varied through six-tenths of a unit. (U. A., p. 

 125. 



JS'o. 88. z Ebidaiti = Lacaille 1125. — 5^ ni, Lacaille; 6 m. Behr- 

 mann ; 6-4 Gould; 6-5 Cape Catalogue \l87 7 -31). Houzeau says 

 ■with reference to this star {Annals of the Bncsseh Oiservatory) : — " Li» 

 soupQon de variabilite est encore plus fort pour z Eridani , j'ai attribue 

 cette etoile ^ la 4 me grandeur en 1875-10, et il n'y a pas lieu de croire 

 qu'une erreur grave se soit giissee dans cette estimation. Cette est 

 d'autant moins probable que z est voisine de e et de y aux quilsil avoit 

 ete alors compare. Pourtant en 1875*61, je ne le voyais qu'a peine tt 

 le notais 6'7. Sur les cartes on I'a fait de la 5 me grandeur, qui est une 

 moyenne. Cette etoile devrait etre suivre attentivement par les ohser- 

 vateurs." 



No. 89. e Ekldani.— 3-4 Sufi; 3 Argelander, andHeis; 4-40 Sir J. 

 Herschel {Cape Ohs., p. 344). Sii^ W. Eerschel found e = 7?; 3-6 Gould 

 3 m. Eranks, Is^v. 30, 1877. 3-66 H.P. 



Jan. 1876, I found e^^;, very slightly less than 8, but brighter 

 than (. 



m. 90. 9 Tatjei.— In the Phil Trails., 1799, p. 142, Sir W. 

 Herschel remarks, " 9 Tauri, Dec. 28, 1798. This star is lost. M. 

 de la Lande says it is not to be found. See Mr. Bode's Art. Jahr. 

 Bucli. for 1795, p. 198. Flamsteed has two complete observations of 

 it, p. 86 and p. 506. "We can hardly admit what Mr. Bode suggests 

 that this star, like the rest, has found its way into the British Catalogue 

 by some error of writing, or of calculating the observations ; it will, 

 therefore, be advisable to look for a future reappearance of it, as it may 

 prove to be a periodical or changeable one." In the notes to the B.A.C., 

 Baily remarks, "9 Tauri. Sir William Herschel says 'this star is 

 lost.' It is, however, still in its place. Probably it is a variable star." 

 He gives the reduced position for 1690 asA P 49° 41' 40", and Dec. 

 22° 8' 55". This position brought up to 1800— the epoch of Lalande's 

 catalogue — agrees fairly well with that of Lalande 6641-2 (7 m.). The 

 star is 7 m. in Harding'' s Atlas, where it is marked 9 Tauri. 



Dec. 23, 1878, I found Harding's starless than 7 Tauri, and less 

 than Lalande 6670-71, but brighter than Lalande 6696-7. 



Pranks rated it 6^m., and less than 7 or 11 Tauri, Dec. 6, 1877. 



1^0. 91. S EErDANi. — 3-4 and 4-3 Sufi ; 3 m. Argelander andHeis ; 

 3*3 m. Gould. In Jan. 1876, I found S very slightly brighter than 

 e Eridani. 3*68 H.P. 



JSTo. 92. Maia PxEiADTm. — From a careful examination of the mag- 

 nitudes of the brighter stars in the Pleiades, M. Wolf considers that 

 Merope and Atlas are decidedly variable, and Maia appears to have in- 

 creased in magnitude since the observations of Piazzi and Bessel. The 



