is to say, instead of appearing single as shown in the map, every “canal" has a twin running along by its side. These duplicates sometimes make their first appearance as rows of faint spots, or indistinct, shadowy markings, which in a little while coalesce and strengthen until they become perfect copies of the pre-existing "canals." Schiaparelli thinks that this phenomenon is connected in some way with the Martial seasons. It should be said that almost all the knowledge we have about the "canals" and their changes of aspect is due to Schiaparelli, for although a few other observers have been able to detect a large number of these strange objects on Mars, yet no one has seen the phenomenon of their doubling except Schiaparelli, and his drawings invariably exhibit far more numerous details than other astronomers have been able to perceive. One of the advantages which Schiaparelli possesses is the exquisite clearness and steadiness of the atmosphere in Italy, and another, no doubt, is his possession of extraordinarily keen eyesight. He is a most painstaking observer, and no one thinks of accusing him of describing what he has not actually seen.

Mars possesses an atmosphere resembling, in some respects at least, that of the earth. Dr. Huggins' spectroscopic observations have shown beyond all question that watery vapor is one of the constituents of the air of Mars as it is of our own atmosphere. Moreover, clouds have been seen obscuring large portions of the surface of Mars and drifting along in such a way as to cover in succession different regions of the planet whose permanent features are well known. An astronomer on Mars armed with a telescope equal in power to some of ours would in like manner behold broad areas of the earth concealed at times by clouds, for we know that in great storms half of a continent or ocean is sometimes wrapped in vapor. It is not too much to say that with powerful telescopes we can watch the broad meteorological features of the distant globe of Mars.

[Me-te-or-o-loj'ic-al.] Atmospheric; pertaining to the weather; specially, pertaining to the science of meteorology. This is the science which "treats of the motions and phenomena of the earth's atmosphere; the scientific study of weather and climate, their causes, changes, relations, and effects."—"Rain, snow, hail, fog, and dew are meteors distinguished as aqueous; the movements of the winds constitute the varieties of aërial meteors; luminous meteors are the singular phenomena displayed by the action of the aqueous particles diffused through the atmosphere upon the rays of light, such as halɔ, mirage, rainbow,

Mars has two little moons which were discovered in 1877 by Professor Hall with the great Washington telescope. These are among the smallest bodies belonging to the solar system-so small are they in fact that the only way in which their actual size can be estimated is by observing the amount of light that they give. They certainly do not exceed ten miles in diameter, and more probably their diameter is not greater than five or six miles. The inner one is slightly the larger of the two. Owing to their minuteness they are insignificant as light-givers to Mars, notwithstanding their proximity to the planet. They revolve in circular orbits, the distance of the inner one, named Phobos, being only 1,600 miles from the surface of Mars, and that of the outer one, Deimos, 12,400 miles. Their motions are very swift, Deimos completing a revolution around the planet in 30 hours and 18 minutes, and Phobos in 7 hours and 39 minutes. It will be observed that the latter actually goes round the planet faster than the planet rotates on its axis, so that the month as measured by the motion of Phobos is shorter than the day upon Mars. It follows that Phobos appears to the inhabitants of Mars to move through the sky from east to west, or in a direction contrary to the motion of all the other heavenly bodies, and that they may frequently enjoy the spectacle of their two moons meeting and passing one another, going in opposite directions!

THE ASTEROIDS.

Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter revolve the little planets called the asteroids or planetoids. The number of asteroids discovered up to the date of the present writing is 306. All have been discovered within this century, although as long ago as the time of Kepler it was noticed that there was a gap between Mars and Jupiter in the regular series of the planetary orbits. The first discovery of an asteroid occurred on the first day of the nineteenth century, January 1, 1801. The name Ceres was given to this new

etc., and may also include the aurora borealis; and the igneous meteors are such phenomena as lightning, aëreolites, shooting stars, etc. . . . In common language the term meteor is applied only to those bodies which, as globes of fire or as shooting stars, are occasionally seen darting through the heavens." The word is built up from the Greek, meteora, meteor, and logos, discourse; meteor is compounded from the Greek, meta, beyond, and acirein, to lift up, to suspend, which verb is derived from aer, air.

Fig. 2 where E is the orbit of the earth, M that of Mars, and J that of Jupiter) correspond to those distances from the sun where the periods of revolution of the asteroids that may once have existed there would be commensurable with Jupiter's period in such a way that the asteroids must have come into conjunction with the giant planet again and again, at or near the same places in their paths, and the disturbing effect of Jupiter's attraction, being thus accumulated, ended by drawing the asteroids into excessively eccentric orbits, so that they either plunged into the sun when it was yet a far more extended body than it is at present, or were turned into paths more resembling the orbits of comets. Professor Kirkwood has even suggested that some of the known comets of short period may originally have been asteroids. The points where the principal gaps occur are at those distances from the sun where the asteroids would have periods equal to one-half, one-third, two-fifths, three-fifths of Jupiter's period, and so on. Take for instance the case where the asteroid would revolve around the sun in just one-half of the time of Jupiter's revolution. This would occur at a mean distance of about 304,000,000 miles from the sun. Once in every revolution of Jupiter the asteroid and the great planet would be in conjunction at the same place. The disturbing attraction of Jupiter would accordingly be very effective in such a case, and as a matter of fact it is just at this point that we find the most remarkable gap in the asteroid zone.

It is a matter of doubt whether the asteroids possess any atmospheres. Some observations have seemed to indicate that their atmospheres may be of considerable extent, but the probabilities are strongly against such being the fact. Certain anomalous appearances of some members of the group have led to the suggestion that their form may not be spheroidal but irregular, and this recalls the old theory put forth at the time of the discovery of the first asteroids, that they are fragments of an exploded planet. In its original form this theory has been abandoned, because the orbits of all the asteroids cannot be reconciled with the form that the asteroidal system should have if it had arisen from the bursting of a single globe into many

parts. Professor Young has suggested that a series of explosions taking place in the fragments formed by the first explosion would account for the observed orbits. The whole theory of an explosion, however, seems to the present writer to rest upon too great an improbability to be admitted. The theory of Professor Peirce that the asteroids were formed like the other planets from a ring of matter which upon breaking up was prevented by the perturbative influence of its neighbor Jupiter from collecting into a single globe, as did the rings from which the planets were formed, is more satisfactory.

Some very curious and interesting consequences flow from the minuteness of these little worlds if we choose to amuse ourselves with the supposition that they might bear inhabitants. Let us take for instance an asteroid having a diameter of ten miles. Suppose for the sake of simplicity that its density is the same as that of the earth. Then its surface attraction will be to that of the earth in the same ratio as their diameters, or as 10 to 8,000, or 1 to 800. A person who weighs 150 pounds on the earth would weigh only 3 ounces on the asteroid. A stone thrown with a velocity of 50 feet in a second would pass out into space never to return. An inhabitant of such a globe possessing the same proportional activity as one dwelling upon the earth could attain a height of three-quarters of a mile without inconvenience so far as the weight of his own body and limbs was concerned!

It is an interesting question whether there may not be other asteroidal systems under the sun's control besides that which exists between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. All the probabilities seem to favor the view that there are such other systems, exceeding in extent, it may be, the one that is known to us, but situated so far from the earth that their minute members are invisible to our most powerful telescopes. It is not impossible that astronomical photography, which has enabled us in several ways to penetrate into the secrets of space far beyond the scope of mere vision, may yet reveal the existence of hitherto unknown members of the solar system, just as it has revealed stars and nebulæ too faint to impress our sense of sight.

O

NCE more Nice is given up to gaiety and festivity. Everybody is doing his very best to cram as much fun as possible into this last week, before Lent settles down with its sad forty days of fasting. The name of this fête is derived from carne vale, the good-by to flesh, on the eve of the austerities of the Lenten season.

It is probably a survival of the ancient festivities of the Romans, and certainly shows no signs of waning in this city, where one can see, once a year, the finest carnival in the world. There is none to equal it. Even that of Rome has degenerated so that it is now only a weak echo of its former glory; while that of Nice seems to grow every year more resplendent, and each committee vies with the former one, to outdo all previous effort.

The place is at its very best just now, and is filled to overflowing with strangers from all parts of the world. In the Place Massena, on the Promenade, and in the Winter Garden one elbows with representatives of all nationalities. The Russians are plentiful, owing to their earnest desire for three blessings: escape from the abominable winter climate of their country; distance from the severities of

their autocratic government; and proximity to that Mecca of all Russians, the gaming tables of Monte Carlo. The English and Americans are here in colonies (let us hope for other reasons). Germans, Italians, Spaniards, and Algerians congregate everywhere, and Nice is now reaping her yearly harvest of gold, from the strangers within her gates. The residents are in good humor, for every hotel and pension is filled to its very roof. Even the north rooms are occupied, which are never in demand at any other time; for visitors to the Rivièra rightly insist upon having their apartments en plein midi, with a full allowance of that greatest attraction in all winter resorts-the sunshine.

It is wonderful with what a zest the people take part in this fête, year after year; some of them going to considerable expense for very elaborate costumes in which they compete for prizes, while others show expensive comic combinations, and the committee spend large sums (all raised by subscription) for the illuminations, fire-works, etc. The amount expended often reaches the sum of sixty or seventy thousand dollars.

From rich and poor, from old and young, Niçois, Parisian, and étranger, the one cry is

"Carnival! Carnival!"

To see the gay companies of masqueraders in the streets, dancing, leaping, shouting, and teasing each other; encountering other parties and exchanging salutes and kisses; scoffing and mocking, one would really think the population had gone mad. But it has always been considered the right of the people of these southern lands to indulge in buffoonery at this time, and as the very spirit of jollity is abroad, it becomes infectious, and one cannot help joining with right good-will.

Nice has been blessed with beautiful weather, and has lately enjoyed an uninterrupted succession of perfect days, with the most brilliant sunshine from early morning to evening. The skies have been cloudless. As one notes their deep cerulean hues, which blend so harmoniously with the colors of the Mediterranean, from whose shore one can catch distant vistas of Antibes, Cannes, and Beaulieu, with the rugged Esterels and the bold Alpes-Maritimes in the background, one cannot but acknowledge that this place fully deserves its musical Italian name of Nizza la Bella.

The fêtes commence with the races, which take place three weeks before the carnival on the Course de la Var, just outside the town, and which attract from fifty to sixty thousand visitors. As I sat on my balcony overlooking the Promenade des Anglais, the sound of the tinkling of many bells reached my ear, and, looking down, it seemed as if the whole town were coursing past en voiture to the races, which are the first feature of all the gaieties to come; the forerunner, as it were, of the carnival itself. Below me passed in quick succession conveyances of all sorts, from the one-horse hack to the fine landau of the wealthy resident, who was out for the afternoon en famille. The high break with its gay party of ladies in elegant costumes, and the silent tricycle passed swiftly side by side. Now came a market-wagon carrying three peasants on the only seat, seeming strangely out of place amid these representatives from the upper crust of society. But its humble occupants were in for a good time, and what cared they for contrasts!

Then the return, in a wild, disorderly rush of vehicles, with a picturesque mêlée of fourin-hands, landaus, tallyhos, and victorias, in which were to be seen all the leaders of the upper circles of Nice society, and the best

known of the aristocracy. The charming costumes of fashionable women added their various hues to the picture, and when we noticed the crowd of pedestrians and rows of spectators it really reminded us of a return from the " "Derby."

And now the city is one mass of bunting and banners. Balconies are gaily decorated and windows on the route are trimmed and inclosed with bright colored sateen, to represent private boxes. The windows and balconies are rented at high prices, and the owners are reaping a harvest. But this is not only a fête for the rich; the poor also may join, as inferior seats can be had at much cheaper rates, and there is standing-room for all along the route. In fact a man can see the whole show at any price, ranging from half a dollar (the cost of a paper muslin domino, without which one cannot enter the begliones) up to two hundred dollars, for which one could procure reserved balconies, win dows for the Battle of Confetti, boxes at the three masked balls, tickets to the grand mammoth concert, and seats in the tribunes with a carriage for the Battle of Flowers included. This gives a wide range for all classes and conditions of men.

The arrival of His Majesty King Carnival XIX. in the evening was attended with great. éclat. Preceded and surrounded by his numerous escort, he made his entrée by lighted train, and his route down the main avenue: was brilliantly illuminated and crowded to the curb. The sight was quite imposing. First came a band of seventy-five musicians. from Vichy; for these guests the committee had prepared a most remarkable conveyance. They were all dressed in white clown costumes, and were seated in an immense violin which, with its upper side removed, was tilted in a slanting position on a massive platform drawn by twelve horses, and supported on huge volumes of bound music. Next came an escort of fifty punchinellos in red and white satin costumes, riding their prancing steeds; and then came the king's servitors. First, twelve cooks with white caps and aprons; then his larder of provisions-two enormous lobsters on horseback, an immense hard-boiled egg, a boar's head, cabbage, melon, and on a dish a roast pheasant surrounded by chestnuts. Each of the above covered the head and body of a man who rode the horse.

Then the king came slowly down the ave