Ses Ae ES ae A eS a g 
- too faint to 
Astronomy. 335 
difficulties to be encountered in the actual observations made and 
d 
things, a polarimeter of novel construction, and which proved 
most efficient in the actual work. The observations made during 
the eclipse are then given in detail. The results of the various 
observations made are summarized as follows: 
(1) With respect to the character of the polarization, the 
observations made by three independent methods agree in show- 
nere, 
(2) The polarization decreases from the moon’s limb outward, 
as shown both by the photographs and the polarimetric measure- 
ments. The latter show that for a space vertically beneath the 
approximately uniform, except for a region about the poles, 
extending 20° each way, where it is somewhat 
ous spectrum, inasmuch as the expected bright line spectrum was 
bserved. 
conclusion seems to be warranted that the passage 
diffuse light of the sky may have had a slight share in diminish- 
ing the apparent polarization at the extreme outer border of the 
Corona by dilution, but it is doubtful whether it was sufficient to 
make it necessary to take it into consideration. 
3. Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, 
Vol. XLI, 1879, with eighteen plates.—This thick volume is 
exclusively devoted to the solar eclipses, and is prepared by Mr. 
anyard at the suggestion of the Astronomer Royal. The plan 
of the work is to bring systematically together in separate chap- 
ters all the observations of solar eclipses, classifying them accord- 
i e 
a very large amount of new matter, especially of details of the 
A. Jour So1.—Tuirp a Vou. XXI, No. 124.—APRIL, 1881. 
