Observatio Ejusdem Cometae ab Illustrissimo Domino Francisco Bianchini Habita Albani Mense Octobri, 1723. & ab Eodem Ulysipponem missa P. Joanni Baptistae Carbone Soc J E S U. Commuuicavit Isaacus Samuda, M. D. Col. Med. Lond. L. S. R. S.

F.1 Friday Oct. 11th at 7 in the Evening. F.2 Sunday Oct. 13th at 6 ditti F.3 Tuesday Oct. 15th at 6 ditti Supposing the Moon to be of this Diameter, the Comet Seem'd to me to be in proportion to this Circle; as above delineated. Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 nefs of a small Star; from the Comparison of which with the Tail the Brightness of the latter may in some sort be collected: The Tail appear'd sharper, and not so much spread in the two following Observations, and in the last did not exceed one third Part of the first Length; it was then of a much darker Colour, which made the Difference between that and the Head more observable, the Head yet appearing sufficiently bright. For some following Nights his Lordship's Observations were interrupted by cloudy Weather, after which the Comet was so far diminish'd, as only to be known by its Motion, its Appearance being no ways distinguishable from that of a small nebulose Star. III. Observatio ejusdem Cometae ab Illustrißimo Domino Francisco Bianchini habita Albani Mensae Octobri, 1723. & ab eodem Ulyssiponem missa P. Joanni Baptistæ Carbone Soc. f E S N. Commuicavit Isaacus Samuda, M.D. Col. Med. Lond. L. S. R. S. Die 17 Octobris, postquam Jovialium Comitum situm observavsem forte in Constellationem Capricorni oculos conieci; cumque astra singula percurrerem, in quamdam veluti nebulosam stellam incidi, caeteris sane grandiorem, quam tamen ibidem loci numquam antea observaram. Rei novitate perscrutatus, eo Telescopium direxi, statimque Cometen esse deprehendi; siquidem tenuissimæ nebulæ globus apparuit, ejusque in medio veluti lucidus nucleolus. Idem quoque nudis oculis discernere licuit; & praeter ter nebulam, seu Cometæ atmosphæram, brevem quo- que caudam, quæ ad orientem vergebat, eratque hu- jusmodi. [Fig. 4.] Ne me igitur ea occasio præteriret, consuetas circa illum observationes institui, ut ejus Longitudinem, Latitudinem, propriumque motum deprehenderem. Et quidem prima nocte, die nempe 17. supradiæta, transit per Meridianum (qui penè cum Romano coin- cidit) circa horam septimam 44' post Merid. ejusque distantia à Zenith, 69° 29'. Hora 8. 11' 30'' distantia Cometæ à Fomabant A- quarii, intercepta est, 20° 33' & hora 8. 17' 30'' distabat à Stella β in humero dextero Aquarii, 21° 8'. Proindeque versabatur Cometes in 11° 54'. Aqua- rii, cum Latitudine Australi ab Ecliptica 11° 10' circiter. Die 21. erat adeo proximus Stellæ ε in Lino supra manum sinistræm Aquarii, quàm ipsa ε est proxima Stellæ μ minori in eodem Lino, constituebatque Co- metes cum utraque Stella ε, μ rectam Lineam, sic [Fig. 5.] Ex hac igitur observatione, & ex Ascen- sionis rectæ nec non declinationis differentiâ inter Cometen, & supradiætam Stellam ε quam diligen- tissime observavi, infertur locus Cometæ fuisse in 6° 45'. Aquarii cum Latitudine Boreali ab Eclipt. 8° 5'. Hinc etiam infertur qualis Cometæ motus proprius fuerit, & quale iter; per planum scilicet circuli maximi secantis Eclipticam in gradu 9 Aquarii, & con- stituentis cum eadem Ecliptica angulum 80 graduum circiter. Reliquis diebus eadem semper proportione moveba- tur, magisque in dies elongari à terræ visus est. Paral- Parallaxim nullam sensibilem, et si pluries inten- taverim, deprehendere potui; proindeque maxima ejus distantia à terra credenda est. Haecenus Illustriissimus Dominus Franciscus Bian- chini in Mathematicis Scientiis apprimè eruditus, & in observando, quoad noverim, accuratisimus. Ejus observatio à nostra, mea scilicet, ac Prioris Dominici Capassi vix in uno aut altero minuto quoad latitudinem dilcrepavit, caeterum omnino conformis. Quapropter nec illam hic arbitror apponendam. IV. Observations about Wasps, and the Difference of their Sexes. By the Reverend Mr. Derham, F.R.S. Prebendary of Windsor. In the Beginning of July last 1723, having fre- quent occasion to be on the Top of our Collegiate Chapel in Windsor Castle, I observed many Wasps fly- ing about it, and particularly frequenting a Covering of Deal Boards, and the Pieces of Timber lying on the Leads. I took notice that most of these Wasps were of a larger sort than usual, and thought they came thither to gnaw the Wood, and to carry it away in Mouthfuls to build their Nests; the Artifice of which I have taken notice of in my Phys. Theol. particular- ly B. 4. ch. 11. note 21. and chap. 13. not. 12. But having caught some of them, and amongst the rest a large Queen-Wasp (which sort of Wasp, by the by, never engages in any Labours of the Colony) I be- gan to be more strict in my Observations; and on Ju- ly 6. I observed a Cluster of only three Wasps closely embracing each other; one of which was a large Fe-