496 



SCIENCE. 



To the Editor of" Science : " 



I have no desire to make any rejoinder to Dr. Rogers' 

 reply (see Science, p. 459), but am willing to leave his 

 answer with your readers just as he has given them. 



I desire, however, to make the following corrections in 

 my published letter : — 



On p. 458, next to last paragraph, for "author of above 

 question " read " author of above quotation." Same page, 

 last paragraph, for " As to the law of inertia " read " As 

 by the law of inertia." And on p. 459, last line of first 

 paragraph, for " centrifugal " read " centripetal." 



Des Moines, Sept. 26, 1881. J. E. Hendricks. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, by 

 the Rev. T. W. Webb, M. A., F. R. A. S.— Fourth 

 Edition — Revised and greatly enlarged — The In- 

 dustrial Publication Company, No. 14 Dey street, 

 New York. Price $3.00. 

 From the number of inquiries we have received re- 

 specting the expected issue of a fourth edition, we be- 

 lieve it will be welcome intelligence to our readers, to 

 learn that the work can now be obtained. 



As the third edition was an enlargement of its pre- 

 decessors, so the present and latest edition has been re- 

 written and again enlarged. Mr.. Webb thus states his 

 reasons for remodeling his work, and at the same time 

 indicates many of the improvements that he has intro- 

 duced. 



" The unprecedented diffusion of a taste for astron- 

 omical observation during the last seven years has 

 brought with it such a corresponding increase in the 



optical capacity of telescopes in private hands that the 

 very title of this treatise would convey an inaccurate im- 

 pression unless its contents were modified in accordance 

 with the requirements of the time. 



Without abandoning that elementary character which 

 may still make it serviceable to beginners, its compass 

 must now be greatly extended, if it may hope for ac- 

 ceptance as a manual by the more advanced student ; 

 and with this object, as the increase of telescopic range 

 chiefly affects the sidereal portion, recourse has been had 

 for additional Double Stars to the great catalogue of 

 Struve I., as well as in a lesser degree to those of his son 

 and Burnham, and as regards Nebulas to that of 

 Herschel II., with a total increase of about 1500 objects, 

 some of which are chosen as tests worthy of the finest 

 instruments, but occasionally, as is well known, within 

 reach of those of more moderate dimensions." 



The present edition of Mr. Webb's will soon find pur- 

 chasers, and we advise all those who desire to possess a 

 copy, to be prompt in securing it. Hie work is an indis- 

 pensable manual to all who possess a telescope, or have 

 a taste for astronomical studies. 



A Correction. — Professor Edward S. Morse desires 

 to withdraw the first part of the last paragraph of the 

 abstract of his paper on " Changes in Mya and Lunatia 

 since the Deposition of the New England Shell Heaps," 

 and substitute the following: — 



" A comparison of the common beach cockle (Lunatia) 

 from the shell heaps of Marblehead, Mass., showed that 

 the present form living on the shore to-day had a more 

 depressed spire than the ancient form ; and this varia- 

 tion," etc., etc. 



METEOROLOGICAL REPORT FOR NEW YORK CITY FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCT. 8, 1881. 



Latitude 40 45' 58" N.; Longitude 73 57' 58" W.; height of instruments above the ground, 53 feet ; above the sea, 97 



feet ; by self-recording instruments. 



barometer. 



thermometers. 





MEAN £OR 

 THE DA V. 



MAXIMUM. 



MINIMUM. 



MEAN. 



MAXIMUM. 



MINIMUM. 



maxi'm 



OCTOBER. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



In Sun. 



Sunday, 2__ 

 Monday, 3.. 

 Tuesday, 4.. 

 Wednesday, 5 - 

 Thursday, 6.. 

 Friday, 7.. 

 Saturday, 8., 



30.293 

 29.961 



=9-739 

 3 OI 35 

 30.246 

 30.229 

 30.022 



30-348 

 30.196 

 29.902 

 30.268 

 30.350 

 30.298 

 30.196 



9 a. m. 

 a. m. 

 a. m. 

 12 p. m. 

 9 a. m. 

 9 a. m. 

 a. m. 



30.196 

 29.898 

 29.632 

 29.788 

 30.196 

 30.188 

 29.894 



12 p. m. 

 6 p. m. 



3 P- m. 

 a. m. 



4 p. m. 

 4 P- m. 



12 p. m. 



66.3 

 74-3 

 67-3 

 40.0 

 49.0 

 60.7 

 69.6 



62.0 

 68.3 

 59-3 

 35-6 

 43-3 

 53-7 

 61.3 



75 

 82 

 77 

 46 

 60 

 70 

 80 



a. m. 

 4 p. m. 



3 P- m . 



4 P- m. 

 4 p. m. 

 4 p. m. 

 4 P- m - 



68 

 71 

 66 

 40 

 5° 

 59 

 67 



a. m. 



4 P- m. 



3 P- m. 



5 P- m. 



4 p. in. 

 3 P- n»- 



5 P- m. 



63 

 63 

 50 

 35 

 36 

 48 



59 



11 p'. m. 

 a. m. 



12 p. m. 

 8 a. in. 

 6 a. m. 



6 a. m. 



7 a. m. 



61 

 61 

 45 



II 

 46 



55 



11 p. m. 

 a. m. 



12 p. m. 

 8 a. m. 

 7 a. m. 

 6 a. m. 

 4 a. m. 



92. 

 '37- 

 131- 

 1 10. 

 it8. 

 130. 

 '34- 



Mean for the week 30.089 inches. 



Maximum for the week at 9 a. m., Oct. 6th 30 350 " 



Minimum " at 3 p. m., Oct. 4th 29.632 " 



Range. — .718 '" 



Mean for the week 



Maximum for the week, at 4 pm. 

 Minimum ki " 8 am. 

 Range " " 



Dry. Wet. 



61.0 degrees _ 54.5 degrees 



3d 82. " at 4 pm 3d, 71. 

 5th 35. " at 8 pm 5th, 31. 

 ---- 47- " 4°- " 



WIND. 



OCTOBER. 



DIRECTION. 



7 a. m. 



n. n. w 

 n. n. w, 



Sunday, 

 Monday, 



Tuesday. 4- w. w. n.w 



Wednesday, 5. n. n w. n. n. w. 



Thursday, 6. n.w. w. n.w. 



Friday, 7. w. s. w. s. w. 



Saturday, 8.1w . s. w |w . s. w. 



Distance traveled during the week. 

 Maximum force 



2 p. m. 



9 p. m 



VELOCITY 

 IN MILES. 



Distance 

 for the 

 Day. 



184 

 124 

 201 

 377 

 176 



'53 

 212 



FORCE IN 

 LBS. PER 

 SQR. FEET. 



« Time. 



8.30 pm 



3.50 pm 



8. co pm 

 4.40 am 

 1 .00 pm 

 1. 00 pm 

 2.30 pm 



HYGROMETER. 



FORCE OF VAPOR, 



■495 



•577 



.529 

 .142 

 .199 

 .258 

 .409 



.502 



.598 

 .490 

 .129 

 .179 

 .290 

 .422 



■497 



.666 



.230 

 .190 

 .256 

 •433 

 .476 



RELATIVE 

 HUMIDITY. 



CLOUDS. 



CI.EAK, 

 OVERCAST. 



rt 



9 cu. 

 10 



8 cu. 



o 

 o 



8 cu. 



9 cu. 



4 cir. cu. 



7 cu. 

 o 



o 



3 cir. cu. 



4 cu. 

 9 cu. 



1,427 miles. 

 12K lbs. 



3 cir. cu. 4 cir. cu. 4 cu. 



Total amount of water for the week 



Duration of rain 



RAIN AND SNOW 



DEI'TH OF RAIN AND SNOW 

 IN INCHES. 



Time 



of 

 Begin- 

 ing. 



4.30 am 

 4.00 pm 



Time 



of 

 End- 

 ing. 



9.30 am 

 4.20 pm 



Dura- 

 tion, 

 h. m. 



5.00 

 0.20 



— .33 inch. 



5 hours, 20 minutes. 



DANIEL DRAPER, Ph. D. 

 Director Meteorological Observatory of the Department of Public Parks, New York. 



