ASTRONOMY AMONG THE COWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 784, 6 April 1910, Page 4

ASTRONOMY AMONG THE COWS.

AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE. (Br H.A.H.) . / Motoring along a country road during a recent visit to. Taranaki, I was surprised to notice nestling near an unpretentious, yet charming, cottage, a building, which certainly appeared to be an up-to-date observatcry. Upon inquiry from my companion, who happened to be the editor of the district local paper, I was informed that my surmise was correct. Being' somewhat of an ardent student of tho stars myself, I at once accepted the kind offer of my, friend to take mo round for the necessary introduction, and further arranged for the event to take place that night; The moon was. nearly full, but. my stay in. Stratford was limited. AVe started out at about eight in the evening, and after' a walk of about a mile or more reached the cottage, only to find the ardent astronomer not there, but already in his observatory., . He proved to be Mr. A; W. Burrell, a typical country settler to tho eye of the passor-by, but to one interested in the noblest of all the sciences, a wellinformed enthusiast,' and an intensely one withal., Here in tho centre of this-country devoted to the dairying industry was a man who had acquired by the expenditure of no inconsiderable sum of money and a ' vast amount of time and ingenuity an observatory; of: whioli'many amateur astronomers, yes, and many New Zealand towns, would be justly proud. The object of our visit announced, wo received a hearty welcome. The telescope was. a five-inch'one by Cooke,-imported direct from the makers in London. As the additional expense of ail equatorial would havo more than doubled the lay, Mr. Burrcll, who possesses building knowledge, decided to construct his own. To ensure the necessary solidity he hit upon-the plan of building his observatory round the trunk of a large red pino tree,, which ho cut down to within about eight feet of the ground. This lie squared off, and unaided constructed thereon aii equatorial with all the. necessary and convenient devices. The driving clock, constructed out of various old wheels,, etc., performs its functions correctly. That a settler should have laid down the moridian line. determined the polar axis, constructed hour and declination circles,. and generally with only the telescopo purchased, set tip an observatory, is alike creditable both to himself ana tho community To one with but little acquaintance with the subject, it seems marvellous. . i L spent tho evening until 11 o'clock' with Mr. Burrell. We examined the moon, tracing upon : her surface many well-known features. Then with a face radiant with pleasure and enthusiasm, | Mr. Burrell showed many beautiful star clusters, among, them tho "Jewel Box," sparkling with gems of varieii colour. Irom these to; nebulae and the Milky Way was a natural transition. By this, time the great Jupiter was sufficiently high for observation, and after consultation of the Nautical Almanack four, of her moons were readily located, three as tiny shining orbs and one crossing the face of tho planet; then the upturned kerosine lamp light enabled further observations to bo made. In . a corner'stood a sidereal clock showing the hours froih one' to twenty-four, and keeping the correct star time. In another cornor was a table and ' bookshelf .with a small collection, of works unknown' to, and uhcared for, by the ordinary mortal.

Various transcripts from the. poets, principally such as deal with the tial phenomena, might be seen here and' there affixed to the walls. The sidereal clock was also the work of this mechanical and astronomical genius. He had observed Halloy's comet, and was well posted in all matters of current interest in the star line. I.shall not soon forgot the pleasant evening I spent with Mr. Burrell. < I would strongly advise anyone really interested in astronomy not to miss an evening in his company should they be at or near Stratford. On- my way back to Wellington I broke the journey at Wanganui, largely with the object. of seeing through the nine-inch telescope possessed by that town. On the first night I found the, place securely locked up, although! had' been informed by a citizen that it was duo to be open. The night was a dark one, excellent in every respect for observation. Having only another night in Wanganui, : I made special inquiries tho next day, and was assured that it would be open that night. I decided to devoto the evening to the observatory, but on ai rival at tho time appointed it was still'locked up, and though I, in company with my wifo, daughter, and u. friend, waited almost three-quarters of an hour, no one cafne. Of course ,as a stranger I have, no ground-of complaint, but were I a Wanganuite , I should strongly protest against so valuable and educative an instrument being kept locked up.