AKY 23, I 9 19] 



NATURE 



405 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for 

 opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither 

 <,in he undertake to return, or to correspond with 

 the writers of, rejected manuscripts intended for 

 this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 

 taken of anonymous communications.] 



Wireless Telegraphy and Solar Eclipses. 



J1--1 before the beginning of the war in 1914 the 

 Radiotelegraphic Committee of the British Associa- 

 tion, which was appointed at the Dundee meeting in 

 consequeno gi >tion by me, had compli 



arrangements for certain observations to bi 

 the Strength of radiotelegraphic signals on the lini 

 totality of the 1014 solar eclipse which passed 

 through Russia. These arrangements wen rendered 

 -- bj the outbreak of the war. On Max 29 

 of this year a total solar eclipse will be visible in 

 North Brazil, and it seems ver, desirable thai anj 

 eclipse expeditions sent out to observe il should 

 provided with wireless ti legraph apparatus, and should 

 arranj . and al~.. to send, signals to othei 



stations before, during, and after the passage of the 

 moon's shadow. 



It is very important to ascertain, if possible, whether 

 there are any effects on signal strength due to the 

 passage of the moon's shadow over a station such as 

 accompany the diurnal passage of the earth's shadow 

 at sunrise and sunset. Evidence obtained from long- 

 distance wireless transmission points conclusively to_ 

 the close connection between it and the ionisation of 

 the upper regions of the atmosphere. There is time 

 now to make arrangements for the erection of tem- 

 porary wireless stations on the line of totality of the 

 eclipse, and (Xi arrange a programm oi operations. 

 Mat 1 suggest to those organising eclipse expeditions 

 doing this? J. A. Fleming. 



University College, London, January 14. 



The Neglect of Biological Subjects in Education. 



The resolution of the Headmasters' Conference and 

 Headmasters' Association, referred to in Nature of 

 January 9 (p. 379), that school instruction in natural 

 ild include biology as well as chemistry and 

 physics, reminds me of an impression which has been 

 with me for some time that a similar reform is ni 

 in our higher education. Arising, I suppose, from the 

 curious notion that chemistry and physics are more 

 and educative and of more general moment in 

 the lives of animals than are botany and zoology, it 

 is laid down at Oxford, for example, that a student 

 who proposes to take a biological subject for his final 

 elementary examination in 

 chemistry and physics, while if he specialises in 

 chemistry or physics he is exempt from any preliminary 

 course in biology. Something similai is, I believe, a 

 prettv , neril rcgul Ui: n in all th universities in 'he 

 countrx and if not a regulation, at any rale a habit. 

 The result is that a number of chemists are produced 

 who are fearfully ignorant of thi simplest truths of 

 biologv ; they do not even know what biolog} is about 

 or the general methods whereby a biologist will 

 10 solve his problems. 



It is probably too much to ask that the education of 

 themselves to the pursuit of natural 

 knowledge should '»■ such as would generate in them 

 that sympathy with arts studies which we need so 

 much, but we (an at least try to secure that the 

 various departments of natural science should be more 

 sympathetic with one another's aims. Sympathy 

 comes from understanding, and I think a consid' 

 step in the right direction would be made by having 

 NO. 2569, VOL. I02] 



compulsorj instruction in botany and zoologv as well 



as in chemistry and physics for all students in our 



schools of natural scieno i ■ form is quite simple 



nid present no practical difficulties, which is 



1. 111 can be said lor some projects of recon- 



-; nation. A. E. Boycott. 



7 Loom I ..ni' . Radlett, [at uary 13. 



The Aurora Borealis of December 25, 1918. 

 The aurora borealis of December 25, [918, was mani- 

 fested here from 5I1. 45m. to 1 ill., and among the 

 teresting features pri be mentioned 



i arch of light, with its apex at roughlv 

 N'.N.W., having a dark transparent interior with the 



stars shining therein. The light nebulous clouds out- 

 side th arch, alternating rapidly in intensity, as well 

 as the radial pulsating streamers, were especially 

 in itew orthy. 



The accompanying illustration gives an approximate 

 idea of the phenomenon as seen here. Vega is shown 

 within the arch. Scriven Bolton. 



Waterloo Lodge, Bramley, Leeds, 

 January to. 



PATENT LAW AMENDMENT. 



A BILL to amend the Patents and Designs 

 Act, 1907, was presented to the House of 

 Commons by Sir Albert Stanley, President of the 

 Board of Trade, as a Government measure in the 

 latter part of 1917. This Bill was ordered to be 

 printed on November 19, 1917- Considerable 

 modifications in the 1907 Act are proposed in 

 clauses 1, 2, 11, 14, and 17 of the Bill. These 

 clauses provide new sections to replace sections 

 •.;, _>7, 58, and 84 of the Act, the marginal notes 

 whereof are respectively "Compulsory licences and 

 revocation,'" "Revocation of patents worked out- 

 side the United Kingdom," "Cancellation of regis- 

 tration of designs used wholly or mainly abroad," 

 and "Register of patent agents," and for the 

 addition of a new section (38 a) under Part I. of 

 the Act. 



