secretary acquainted with the details of observatory work, naming Mr. Christie as eminently suitable for the office. I did this without entertaining the slightest personal feeling in the matter, and most certainly with no idea that Mr. Giaisher would be displaced from the Council, where he assuredly ought to be. Indeed, I specially called the attention of the gentleman to whom rumour assigns a large share in the preparation of the opposition list to the risk which seemed to exist that, if Mr. Christie were made Secretary, Mr. Glaisher would not be elected at all, and that gentleman pointed out reasons for believing that there was no such risk. I incline to think now that I was right and he was wrong, the risk I indicted really, I believe, existing.

What "the events which occurred last year" may have been I have no idea. I have heard of nothing, and I am told the Council minutes mention nothing of the least importance in which Mr. Ranyard and Capt. Noble have adopted a course which should trouble Mr. Christie. In fact, the only thing I can think of is their very mild and courteous opposition to Mr. Brett's theory that Venus is a burnished globe in a glass shell. But though Mr. Christie has said that he regards Mr. Brett's idea as an important contribution to science (save the mark !) he could hardly wish to turn Capt. Noble off the Council and displace Mr. Ranyard from the secretaryship because they do not agree with him on that point. On that principle I fancy he would reduce the Council to himself and Mr. Brett. RICHD. A. PROCTOR.

MIRA CETI.

Sir,- It may interest some of your readers to know that this remarkable variabie is now visible to the naked eye. It was last night (6th Dec.) about 5m. Yours faithfully E. GORE.

Umballa, Punjab:
Dec. 7, 1876.

OCCULTATIONS OF REGULUS.

Sir,-A densely clouded sky hid all view of the occultation of Regulus here this morning, as has indeed been the case with every first magnitude occultation for the past 10 years. In this case it would have been interesting to notice the effects of parallax on so short an occultation in different parts of the country. In January, 1840, Regulus was occulted for a few minutes in the S. and S.W. parts of England, to the N. and N.E. her upper limb passed below the star. It was remembered at the time that the duration of that occultation would differ very sensibly if observed from the top of a hill, and in a contiguous valley, or at the level of the sea.

The following records of the curious illusion of projection on the moon's limb, during occultations of this star, will be found in the Monthly Notices. The star was occulted on December 22, 1831. In the observation at Cambridge it is remarked that "all the observers saw the star hang on the limb, and in some degree projected on the disc."

In May, 1858, we were favoured with a clear sky for this phenomenon, and a moon no further than the first quarter. I witnessed it through an old ship glass carrying a magnifying power of 16, too small to show anything worthy of note. Some observers saw the star "snuffed out in a moment on this occasion. Others had a different impression. Mr. Worthington, at Crumpsall, says: "At the reappearance, rather more than half the

disc of the star was projected instantaneously from behind the moon, but about three-quarters of a second elapsed before the whole of the disc became visible."

A curious observation of an occultation of Regulus occurred on July 30, 1821. It was observed by Mr. Runker and Sir Thos. Brisbane. at sea, with a comet sweeper, five miles from Cape Frio. The sun had just set, and the star described a very small chord behind the moon's disc. Both observers saw the star within the moon's limb so long that they exchanged the telescope several times to "admire in turns the singular phenomenon."

Upton Helions Rectory:
Jan. 3, 1877.

AURORA BOREALIS.

S. J. JOHNSON.

During a watch for shooting stars on the evening of Jan. 6, between 8h. 30m. and 9h. 30m., a bright aurora was seen here, and a more marked display than any I have witnessed since October 4, 1874. They have been very infrequent and feeble during the last two years.

Between 8.30 and 9, cumulus clouds more or less obscured the northern sky, but a strong glow, as of twilight or moon rise (though the light seemed more condensed and stronger on the horizon), became apparent through fissures. At 9 the sky had cleared, and a bright band of white light was seen lying parallel along the horizon, just below the stars &, yand & Cygni, y and 3 Draconis, and n Ursæ, extending in its whole length from Cygni to Cor Caroli (upwards of 80 degrees) and slightly above a Lyræ, then shining very brightly from a clear space below. This band was about 3 or 4° broad, and on either side of it the sky was very dark and clear. At 9.5 the light became more diffused, spreading itself upwards over the stars of Cygnus and Draco's head, and at 9.10 was detached in the centre, resolving itself into two luminous clouds, one condensed just under y Cygni, the other below n Ursæ. Then the latter faded rapidly while another luminosity formed upon y and ß Draconis. These, however, became quite faint before 9.15 when the aurora again assumed the form of a bright white band stretching horizontally along, and some 4° broad, though slightly higher this time and projected upon the stars of Cygnus and Draco, before noted, in position almost parallel along the horizon. This second band, scarcely as intense as the preceding, sloped downwards to the right under Cor Caroli, where it appeared to meet the visible horizon, and a few minutes sufficed to render it nearly extinct though it had been rapidly undergoing variations before. At 9.30 the phenomenon had wholly gone, and at 10 p.m. the sky became cloudy and a driving rain fell during the whole night afterwards. There were no vertical streamers, in fact, this aurora exhibited itself solely as luminous patches or bands, lying more or less parallel to the horizon, giving the impression of bright moonlight reflected on films of cirro-stratus clouds. During the time I saw it the wind was blowing a gale from S. W., barometer about 29 inches (corrected). I had observed frequent lightning between 8 and 9 p.m., proceeding chiefly from cumuli in N.W., and from other parts violent gales and thunderstorms, with much rain and hail, are reported on the same day and night, and I mention the fact merely as of contemporary W. F. DENNING. [Mr. Glaisher's meteorological report for quarter ending December, 1876, confirms Mr. Denning's note on the unfrequent occurrence of the auroræ of late.]

Occurrence.

Bristol: January 7, 1877.

Mercury rises three quarters of an hour before the sun at the beginning of the month, the interval decreasing.

Venus rises about half-an-hour before the sun, the interval decreasing. Mars rises three hours and a quarter before the sun, at the beginning of the month, the interval slightly decreasing.

Jupiter rises about three hours and a quarter before the sun on the Ist, the interval increasing to about four hours on the last day. Uranus is well situated for observation.

LUNAR OBJECTS SUITABLE FOR OBSERVATION IN MARCH, 1877.

BY W. R. BIRT, F.R.A.S., F.M.S.

In the list for January, 1877, ante p. 23. we gave a series of objects near the north border of Fracastorius, which would form a suitable line to compare with and check the base line given in November.

Mr Simms has kindly furnished us with a continuation of the catalogue of Area IV. Bp, from which we shall extract his observations of four of these objects. The following are the numbers in the Synopsis with the corresponding numbers in the catalogue:

Synopsis, XV., XXIV., XVI., XXVI., XXVII., XXIX.

Area IV. Bp 23 21

18

16.

IV. Bo 21. A ridge branching off from the north extremity of the west wall of Fracastorius, in a north-westwardly direction; its northern extremity is abrupt; it was observed August 8, 1876; it is not found in Dennett's drawings.

IV. Bp 20. A small craterlet in the angular point included between the southern extremity of IV. Bp 8 (the ridge to Rosse, XXV. of the Synopsis) and the N.E. extremity of a ridge or range of mountains lying in a N.E. and S.W. direction, and joining the northern extremity of the west wall of Fracastorius.