358 Proceedings of the JRoyal Irish Academy. 



ISTo. 346. 17 Htde^ = Lacaiile 4770 (N. Hydra, Gould).— 4^ m. 

 Lacaille; 5-2 Gould (dpi. 6, 6).— A double star, 5-5, 7 : 207°-8 : 10"-1, 

 1833; "Webb found only balf a mag. difference, 1852; so Morton, 

 1857; and Franks, 1876 [Cel. Olj., p. 286). I found 7 rather the 

 larger in 1875 ; both yellowish {Southern Stellar Objects, p. 52), 

 4.98 H.P. 



No. 347. Lacaille 4843 Mfsc^. — 6 m. Lacaille ; 5-6 Behrmann ; 

 6-5 Cape Cataloqiie (1875-41). The Cordoba estimates vary from 5-4 

 to 6'1, and Gould thinks it ''probably variable." 



No. 348. 92 Leonis. — 5|- m. Lalande (22,111) ; 5 Argelander and 

 Heis ; 6 m, Houzeau (1875*26) ; 6 Franks, "pale orauge," scarcely = 

 67 Leonis (6-5 Heis). It is not in Birminqham'' s Catalogue of Red 

 Stars. Sir W. Herschel gives 95 (o), 92. March 3, 1884, 1 found it 

 two steps brighter than 67, but less than 72 Leonis. 5*48 and 5*3 H.P. 



No. 349. p Leois^is. — Considered by Sir "W. Herschel {Phil. Trans., 

 1796) to have probably diminished in brightness in modern times. It 

 was rated of the 1st magnitude by Ptolemy, Sufi, and Tycho Brahe ; 

 1-2 by Plamsteed ; l-J- m. by Hevelius ; but only 2 m. by Lalande, 

 Argelander, and Heis. Sir "W. Herschel rated it slightly less than y 

 Leonis, and remarks, "Prom the expression of this Catalogue, it is 

 evident that the star is less now than it was thirteen years ago." In 

 Schjellerup's translation of Al-Sufi's description of the heavens 

 (10th century) the star is thus described: — "La 27 [y8] de la 

 premiere grandeur est la brillante et grande qui se trouve sur la 

 queue ; elle suit la brillante vingtieme etoile situee dans les reins 

 C'est celle que I'on marque sur 1' astrolabe et que I'on nomme dzana 

 al dsad, la Queue du Lion." Prom this it is evident that the star was 

 a brilliant one in Al-Sufi's time, probably comparable in brightness 

 with Regulus, which Sufi describes in similar words. Sir John 

 Herschel rated it 2"63 {Ca/pe Observatory, p. 440) (y Leonis = 2*34) ; 

 Pritchard 2-07 (1882-360 and 1883-117).' 2-23 H-P. 



No. 350. /8 VrRGiisris. — 2, 3, 3^ and 4m. Lalande; 3 Harding; 3-4 

 Heis ; 4-14 Sir J. Herschel, February 24, 1838 ; 3-3 Gould at Albany, 

 and 3-7 at Cordoba; 3-67 Pritchard (1883-160 and 1883-169). 

 3-72 H.P. 



No. 351. 65 IJes^ Majoeis.— A triple star 7, 9-5, 7 : 35°-8, 115° : 

 3"-8, 63"-5. Measured 6-39 by Peirce {Harvard Annals, vol. ix.). 

 Smyth says: "The magnitude which I have assigned, on mature 

 comparison to B, does not altogether quadrate with y's description of 

 its being a mere point, which would hardly be suspected. It may be 

 variable ; and I have reason also to think C is" {Bedford Catalogue, 

 p. 260). On March 15, 1880, and March 30, 1881, I found it about 

 half a magnitude brighter than C, (with 3-inch achromatic) ; B 

 not seen. 



