SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
649 
N.E. and S.W., in the northern hemisphere, which was seen by him in 1852, 
but not so perfectly as on the present occasion. Another observation would 
appear to point to a change, — for a bay which was perceived in 1852 as dis- 
tinctly oval with a regular coast, was in 1862 seen and depicted as distinctly 
forked ; although, at the latter time, Mr. Lockyer’s excellent pictimes repre- 
sent it as seen in 1852. Mr. Dawes thinks it possible that the sea may have 
receded from that part of the coast, and left the tongue of land exposed. On 
three consecutive evenings a very w'hite spot was noticed, which certainly did 
not exist two months previously, and which looked exactly like a large mass 
of snow, and quite as white as the spot near the South Pole in 1862. On 
looking over his observations of 1852, Mr. Dawes finds that he has noticed 
this appearance, and comes to the conclusion that it must be permanent, and 
furthermore thinks that a mass of snow or cloud would be unlikely to take 
up its position at this part of the planet, which is near the equator. In 
regard to the atmosphere of the planet, he is of opinion that it has not in 
general a very cloudy atmosphere, as the permanence and equal distinctness 
of the spots at all times were surprising ; and the few changes which appeared 
in them lustre were similarly seen in other parts, and could be traced to other 
causes. Of course, the white spots, whether of snow or masses of cloud, as 
the case may be, were an exception to this rule, as those may be expected and 
have been seen to alter from week to week. One little change near the North 
Pole v'as, however, remarked, when a rather thick dark line, which was in- 
visible on November 10, was seen on November 14, when other objects in 
the neighbourhood were well seen ; whilst, on November 10, the northern 
extremity of a small strait near it was invisible, although it should have been 
seen quite as plainly as on the 12th. Mr. Dawes thinks that the ruddy aspect 
of the planet does not arise from any peculiarity in its atmosphere, as the 
ruddy tint is most apparent at the centre of the planet, and least so where 
the atmosphere is most dense ; and yet, at the latter, the colour is white or 
greenish- white. Mr. De la Rue thinks that an excellent globe of Mars may 
be constructed from Mr. Dawes’ drawings. 
Photosphere of the Sun. — Mr. Fletcher was enabled to observe the disc of 
the sun to great advantage during this siunmer. Finding no spots of sufficient 
magnitude to arrest his attention, he turned the telescope on the surface of 
the sun itself, and with the help of Dawes’ solar eye-piece, armed with a 
power of 410 and an aperture of a quarter of an inch, saw all the features 
admirably. He found the entire surface, on each day when it was examined, 
covered with minute white granules, and although the “ rice-grain ” compari- 
sons of Mr. Stone are very felicitous, yet the shapes were too various to be 
accurately described by any general term. They have sometimes been kept 
in view for a space of from ten to fifteen minutes without any change in 
situation or form being perceptible. None of that peculiar appearance of 
interlacing could be detected, unless when the air was tremulous. hlr. 
Fletcher is of opinion that the granules are not “ entities ” at all, but only 
some portions of the sun’s luminous atmosphere elevated into the outer or 
non-luniinous atmosphere. They were estimated to be about two or three 
seconds in length, and about a third of that quantity in breadth, but no 
general form could be distinguished, and there was no tendency to elongated 
forms. If such were the shapes observed, he concludes that no interlacing 
