320 Notes and Memoranda. 



several observers besides Mr. Browning speak of absence of colour. M. Chacornac 

 states the contrary. He says the greater part of the lunar disk plunged into tbe 

 shade of the earth was of a red colour, the portion near the limit of the shadow 

 slightly violet. Between these two extremes, yellow, orange, green, and blue 

 exist, resulting from the decomposition of solar light by refraction of the terres- 

 trial atmosphere. Mr. Huggins informs us that excess of light prevents a proper 

 view of colour, and Mr. Knott has found too much light to interfere with a 

 just appreciation of the tints of double stars. M. Chacornac's observations 

 were made at Ville-Urbanne, but he does not say with what aperture. He has 

 the large Foucault reflector there. The " Monthly Notices" contain Mr. Wes- 

 ton's observations made at Endsleigh Observatory, Bath. He describes the pre- 

 vailing colour as "red-bluish and grey, and grey. The redness increased towards 

 the darJcened edge of the moon. He did not notice this colour at " the boundary 

 line when the earth's shadow impinges on the moon ; but, on the contrary, it was 

 confined to the opposite eclipsed region, darkening as it approached the northern 

 parts, and attaining the greatest depth at the moon's periphery. . . . That these 

 effects did not result from any chromatic errors was proved by using different 

 telescopes and powers. The colour and their relative positions differed entirely 

 from those presented in the partial eclipse of Feb., 1858." 



Two New Peanets, Q S J and Q*\. — Mr. "Watson, of Ann-Arbor, states in the 



" Astronomische Nachrichten," that he discovered the first of these bodies on the 

 24th August, and the second on the 6th Sept. Both are of 11 mag. 



Micro-crystaxs op Alkaloids. — At the meeting of the Eoyal Microscopical 

 Society, on the 9th Oct., Br. G-uy read a long paper on crystallizations and arbo- 

 rescent forms obtained by subliming minute quantities of strychnine and other 

 alkaloids in the manner originally proposed by Helwig. Br. Guy's process is to 

 place the matter to be sublimed at the bottom of a small flat porcelain vessel, such 

 as a crucible cover. Over it he puts a square of glass, about one-eighth of an inch 

 thick, with a round hole in the middle. Over this hole he places a flat piece of 

 glass. A moderate heat, carefully applied by a spirit lamp, sublimes the alka'oid, 

 and it is condensed on the plate of flat glass, and ready for microscopic examination. 

 Quantities such as the 10,000th part of a grain give satisfactory results. Many 

 photographs of crystallizations, exhibited by Br. Guy, were of great beauty. 

 Evidence of this kind might be important in medico-legal inquiries, but it could 

 scarcely be regarded as conclusive, though it might form part of a conclusive chain 

 of proof. 



The Coming Star Showers. — Our readers should refer to the important 

 paper by Mr. Proctor, in our last number, on this subject, before the arrival of 

 the 14th. At a quarter past six on the morning of the 14th may be the maximum, 

 but the meteors should be looked for some hours earlier to prevent disap- 

 pointment. 



A Waistcoat-pocket Microscope. — The most elegant and convenient 

 portable microscope is one devised by Mr. Highley, on the plan of the class 

 microscopes introduced by Br. Bionel Beale. Mr. Highley's instrument fits into 

 a German silver case, rather less than four inches long and five-eights of an inch 

 wide. It is furnished with a live-box, draw-tube, eye-piece, and dividing objec- 

 tive. Its power is sufficient to show the nature of urinary deposits and other 

 morbid products ; and as a field instrument for the collector of diatoms, desmids, 

 minute alga 3 , etc., it will be highly esteemed. 



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