[ 11.6 ] 



VIII. Notices respecting New Boohs. 



Azimuth Tables for the Higher Declinations. By II. B. Goodwin. 

 LondoD : Longmans. Green, & Co. 1896. 



fTTHESE tables, extending from 24° to 30° Declination, may be 

 -*■ considered supplementary to those of Burdwood and Davis. 

 The limits embrace the moon, larger planets, and a belt of bright 

 stars. The latter are more particularly useful in the Southern 

 Hemisphere, which contains no practical pole-star. 



Unlike the tables of Burdwood and Davis, these have for one 

 argument the star's altitude, excepting in the supplementary por- 

 tion termed Table B, which follows the ordinary usage of having 

 as argument the star's Hour-angle. 



The tables are very legibly printed in old-face type, which lends 

 itself peculiarly to figure work. The omission, however, of the lead- 

 ing figures excepting at the change of the degree is a very doubtful 

 advantage, and it is very probable that a table giving degrees 

 and tenths only with all the figures printed would be a more useful 

 one in the hands of the navigator. The subdivision of the degree 

 into minutes possesses no advantages whatever, and only adds to 

 the labour of differencing and interpolation. We observe a few 

 figure errors, but on the whole the tables appear to be fairly accu- 

 rately printed and read, and they should be a valuable addition to 

 the chart-room of the skilful navigator, and an incentive to the 

 more geneial use of star observations in practical seamanship. In 

 the introduction the author states that Burdwood mentions only 

 three bright stars between the equator and 23° S. (the limits of his 

 tables). If we take, however, the stars in the Nautical Almanac 

 within the author's limit of brightness (Mag. 2*4), we find ten stars 

 against four comprised in Goodwin's tables. Again, the author 

 states " for the moon, the tables will be brought into requisition 

 for approximately one third of the month," overlooking the fact 

 that when the moon's node is between 270° and 90° the declination 

 of the moon never exceeds the obliquity of the ecliptic. This will 

 be for a period of over nine years successively, or one-half the 

 revolution of the node. 



IX. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



[Continued from vol. xli. p. 524.] 



March 11th, 1896.— Dr. Henry Hicks, F.R.S., President, 

 in the Chair. 

 The following communications were read : — 



1. 'On an Alpine Nickel -bearing Serpentine with Fulgurites.' 

 By Miss E. Aston, B.Sc. With Petrographical Notes by Prof. T. 

 G. Bonney, D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S., Y.P.G.S. 



The specimens described were collected on the summit of the 



