Jory 15, 1915] 

““ Across northern Idaho, Montana, and the Dakotas 
service virtually was suspended. Like unsatisfactory 
conditions prevailed on all the northern transcontinental 
lines. 
“For several hours during the early morning cable 
communication vid the Newfoundland cables of the 
Western Union was all but paralysed.” 
During the progress of the aurora, Mr. Frank 
Sullivan and Mr. E. P. Hubble, of this observatory, 
tried the wirless receiver here, with which time-signals 
are received from Arlington, Virginia, Mr. Sullivan 
at 14h. 45m., when the arch was strong but not active, 
and Mr. Hubble at 20h. om., when the greatest 
display occurred. They found in both cases that the 
static conditions were normal. Mr. Sullivan reports 
that it was unusually quiet. E. E. Barnarp. 
Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, 
Wisconsin, June 25. 

The Magnetic Storm and Solar Disturbance of 
June 17, 1915. 
\ CORRECTION is necessary for the value of 1’ of arc 
displacement for the H.F., given in my letter pub- 
lished in Nature of June 24. It should read, line 18 
(1’=4-0x10—-> C.G.S. units). There is also an 
ambiguity in the preceding line, in the use of the 
word displacement. The extreme values of the 
greatest oscillation in the H.F. about 4.15 p.m. 
amounted to 100’, as stated, but the maximum dis- 
placement was 76’, the value of the base line being 
22 
In his very interesting letter on this subject (NATURE, 
July 1), Dr. Chree mentions several dates on which 
sudden movements of the magnets occurred, which 
are presumably of cosmic origin. It may also be of 
interest to compare the state of the solar surface on 
these dates with these sudden movements. The first 
occurred at I p.m. on June 16. On this date the two 
sympathetic groups of spots, which I have associated 
with the magnetic storm of June 17, evinced con- 
siderable disturbance, the faculaz in the neigh- 
bourhood of these two groups, as also bright 
faculz conjoined with two other groups nearer 
the E. limb, showing a decided drift towards 
the south. On June 18, as already described 
in my last letter, the whole of the _ region 
between these two groups was violently disturbed, and 
the faculaz, which must have been very bright to be 
visible in the middle regions of the sun, showed the 
same southerly drift. As this was visually the most 
disturbed region of the sun, and, moreover, it was 
near the heliographic position of the earth, it seemed 
most likely that this region was the one connected 
with the magnetic storm, if any such direct connection 
exists. 
On June 14 a bright compact patch of faculz 
appeared in the N.E. quadrant on the sun’s limb, in 
which were a few small dots. This new disturbance 
continued to grow, until on June 21 it had developed 
into a fine group of large spots near the central meri- 
dian. Its mean approximate position was +17° lati- 
tude, and 356° longitude. This region was also much 
disturbed on June 19. Dr. Chree directs attention to 
the considerable magnetic disturbance which com- 
menced at 3.10 p.m. on June 21 with a sudden move- 
ment of the H.F. magnet. Dr. Chree also mentions 
another sudden commencement on June 7 ‘‘of con- 
siderable size at a time when Father Cortie tells us 
the sun was almost free from spots.’”’ On that date 
there was only one group of very small spots at mean 
latitude +21° and longitude 198°, in a ring of facule. 
But I find on consulting our solar drawings that 
NO. 2385, VOL. 95] 
NATURE 


337 
M. Henroteau, the observer, has made the following 
note on the drawing of June 8, with regard to this 
group of very small spots: ‘‘The region of the spots 
seems very disturbed.” 
Finally, that quiet magnetic conditions show the 
twenty-seven day period is not inconsistent with, but 
would naturally follow from, successive synodic pre- 
sentment earthwards of an undisturbed hemisphere of 
the sun. A, L. Cortig. 
Stonyhurst College Observatory, July 4. 
Use of Tyrosine in Promoting Organic Growth. 
I DEsIRE to direct the attention of readers of NATURE 
to the influence of tyrosine in promoting the growth 
and multiplication of any organisms that may be found 
in tubes five to ten months after they have been 
hermetically sealed and sterilised, as described in ‘* The 
Origin of Life,’’ second edition, 1913, and Nature of 
January 22, 1914. 
The June number of the Proceedings of the Royal 
Society of Medicine contains an illustrated communi- 
cation dealing with the effects of this powerful auxetic 
when used in the form of a 0-05 per cent. solution. 
Its influence was tested on a large number of tubes 
ripe for examination, containing five different kinds 
of experimental solutions (the constitution of which 
is given) by adding, with all necessary precautions, 
about twenty drops of the tyrosine solution to each 
tube when it was opened. The tubes were then re- 
closed and replaced in the incubator for three to four 
weeks. When the contents of these tubes were re- 
examined after such an interval a very considerable 
growth and multiplication of unmistakable organisms 
were found to have taken place, thus tending to dis- 
prove the two principal doubts that had been urged 
against the original experiments by showing (1) that 
what were found were not mere pseudo-organisms ; or 
(2) organisms which had pre-existed in the solutions, 
and had been killed by the sterilising process. Photo- 
micrographs of the organisms taken from the tubes 
before, as well as after, the addition of the tyrosine 
show its great influence in favouring the multiplica- 
tion of bacteria, torula, and moulds. 
I have quite lately heard from the brothers Mary 
(Institut de Biophysique, Paris) that they have been 
similarly successful in obtaining from some of their 
tubes, after the addition of tyrosine, plenty of budding 
torulae, as well as delicate spore-bearing moulds, and 
that they are about to publish an account of their 
investigation. 
The last number of the Proceedings of the Royal 
Society (B. 609) contains an interesting paper by Prof. 
Benjamin Moore and W. G. Evans, in which they 
describe and figure some simple pseudo-organisms, of 
a kind with which I am quite familiar, obtained from 
a limited number of tubes containing solutions appar- 
ently similar to some of those which I have used. 
I have prepared and examined more than a thousand 
of these tubes, and among them have found many 
barren series. A comparison of their illustrations 
with mine will show that they have hitherto met with 
totally different objects. It is true, however, that 
some of their finds, under the low magnification which 
they employ, have a superficial resemblance to matted 
or twisted hyphze of moulds (see especially Figs. 1, 7, 
and 1r). 
The simplest solution from which I have obtained 
different kinds of moulds, and which I can recommend 
to others, is one made from 1o per cent. solutions of 
iron sulphate and potassium ferrocyanide, in which 
one drop of the former and two of the latter are added 
to each 30 c.c. of distilled water. The iron stock 
