276 Bed Star, 



of the stars was published in 1603, was guided in some cases 

 by position, as in others by magnitude, and this enfeebles the 

 presumption of variable light which would otherwise arise in 

 many constellations : and, in the present instance, a certainly 

 stands first in R.A., among the lettered stars of Crater ; still, 

 had it been then as inferior to 8 as it is now, it seems hardly 

 likely that he would have so distinguished it. In the adjacent 

 Hydra he has evidently had the order of brightness in view. 

 In the S.D.U.K. map, 8 has 3rd, a and 7, with v Hydras, 4 

 mag. Argelander gives v Hydro? and 8 3*4, a and 7, 4 mag. 

 It seems desirable that variable light should be looked for here : 

 a may have diminished, or 8 increased, or both. 



Having found a Crateris, we let him pass through the field, 

 and we shall find him followed, at 42 '5s, Vs, by his ruddy 

 attendant, whose hue is certainly very striking, and much 

 resembling that of our acquaintance R Leonis (see our March 

 number). It is, however, small enough to require a fair aperture 

 to exhibit its colour well. Baxendell has found it variable, 

 considering it, April, 1866, fully J mag. smaller than during 

 the spring of 1865 : and hence he has designated it, according 

 to Argelander's system, as R Crateris (implying that it is the 

 first variable discovered in that constellation, the letter S being 

 reserved for the next, and so on) . At a short distance from 

 the red star, and on a line pointing but a little s of a, there 

 is a somewhat smaller one, which I found of a decidedly blue 

 tint. It would be interesting to ascertain whether its hue was 

 the effect of contrast ; but this would be better done with a 

 very large aperture, and the contracted field of a Dawes' eye- 

 piece ; my impression certainly was that it was blue rather 

 than green, the complementary tint ; and that its colour was, 

 therefore, in part at least, independent. No time should be 

 lost in looking for this group, now rapidly passing away. 



It has been repeatedly remarked that a ruddy tinge is often 

 associated with variable light. Such is eminently the case with 

 R Leporis and R Leonis, to which may be added another re- 

 markable instance, R Cassiojpece, which, according to Pogson, 

 is vividly red. It lies in R.A. xxiiih. 51m. D.N. 50° 35', and 

 varies, according to Professor Schonfeld, somewhat uncertainly 

 as to brightness, sometimes rising to 4*8, at others only to 

 6 mag. : the period also may be shortening, as before 1865 he 

 thought it had been 449 d., but in that year it appeared to be 

 430 d. ; and at its next return, 412*5 d. From the two previous 

 maxima, 1865, Feb., 21*5 ; 1866, Apr. 10, the next may be ex- 

 pected to occur between May 7 and May 10, on the supposition 

 of an equable acceleration. This, however, is most improbable, 

 as the period would thus, in a few years, become = 0, instead 

 of being expressed, like all similar alternations, by an undula- 



