July 3, 1913] 



NATURE 



45i 



where great magnifications were desired. This last 

 difficulty might to some extent be surmounted by 

 using as a secondary instrument the two strips of a 

 bolometer, so that fluctuations would make propor- 

 tional changes in both strips, whereas a deflection 

 gives a differential effect. Experiments, however, on 

 the application of the principle are in progress. 



G. A. Shakespi vr. 

 The University, Birmingham, June 24. 



Wireless Antennae. 



In recent issues of Nature several correspondents, 

 in referring to the fact that a metal bedstead or a few 

 wires stretched a few feet above the ground will 

 make a wireless antenna, have overlooked a most 

 important point, viz. that with such an antenna the 

 ordinary methods of tuning are quite useless. 



A pine of wire netting suspended a few feet above 

 the ground makes a most effective aerial, and enables 

 one to receive loud signals from long-distance stations, 

 but signals from Eiffel Tower, C'eethorpes, &c, will 

 all be mixed up, and the ordinary tuner will not 

 separate them effectively. It seems to me that this 

 proves that the usual theory of the waves travelling 

 through space in the air above the earth's surface and 

 being cut by the aerial does not wholly account for 

 the facts. 



Wireless signals that are feeble when the surface of 

 the earth is dry, becoming much stronger after rain, 

 and the well-known fact that these waves travel much 

 better over sea than over land, all seem to indicate 

 that the aerial waves are at least supplemented by 

 waves that travel along the surface of the earth, and 

 that the wire netting, bedsteads, &c, act as counter 

 capacities, allowing these waves to flow from the 

 earth through the receiver. The capacity of a small 

 piece of wire netting near the ground is much greater 

 than a very extensive aerial high up. 



Canterbury. A. Lander. 



The Occurrence of " Anomalocera pattersoni," Temp., 

 in Mounts Bay. 



It is stated by Mr. L. H. Gough (" Report of the 

 Plankton of the English Channel," 1903), that the cope- 

 pod Anomalocera pattersoni, R. Temp., may gener- 

 ally be regarded as an oceanic species. Gough's ob- 

 servations tended to show that Gran was correct in 

 assuming this to be the case, although Cleve con- 

 sidered the species to be neritic. Sars, in his "Crus- 

 tacea of Norway," speaks of the occurrence of this 

 copepod "off the south and west coasts of Norway, 

 generally congregated in great shoals," but through- 

 out the reports published in connection with the 

 international fishery investigations, no record occurs 

 of its similar abundant occurrence in the English 

 Channel. 



It is interesting to record, therefore, that during 

 an intensive survey of the planktological conditions 

 of Mounts Bay, performed from the s.y. Mera on 

 June 2, an extensive shoal of the species was met 

 with at the surface on a position 50 4' 20" N. x 

 5° 2 7' 55" W. The product of a five minutes' haul 

 with the coarse tow-net amounted to 34-75 c.c. of 

 material, of which at least three-fourths was made up 

 of Anomalocera, both in its adult and developmental 

 stages. The visitation of this copepod, in association 

 with several other oceanic forms of phyto- and zoo- 

 plankton, to a comparatively close inshore position 

 may possibly serve as an indication of somewhat 

 abnormal hvdrographical conditions, but unfortunately 

 no physical observations are yet to hand to enable 

 a comparison to be formed. 



Harold Swtthinbank. 

 S.y. Mera. R.Y.S. G. E. Bullen. 



NO. 2279, VOL. 91] 



Artificial Hiss. 



Lord Ravleigh's "sound more like an / than an 

 s" ( Nature, May 29, p. 319) is due, according to 

 Kohler's observations (Zeits. j. Psych., 64, p. 93), 

 to a slightly too high pitch. A' Galton whistle, 

 set for a tone of 8400 v.d., will give a pure s. 



E. B. Titchenek. 

 The Psychological Laboratory, Cornell University, 

 Ithaca, N.Y. 



THE BICENTENARY OF THE BOTANIC 

 GARDEN OF ST. PETERSBURG. 



THE bicentenary of the foundation of the 

 Imperial Botanic Garden at St. Petersburg 

 was celebrated with unusual pomp on June 24. 

 The history of the garden, its share in the botanical 

 exploration of north, central, and east Asia, and 

 the practical completion of its reorganisation on 

 modern and truly liberal lines justified the festive 

 character of the proceedings. They were initiated 

 on the eve of the jubilee by a special service, 

 attended by the staff of the garden, in the Peter- 

 Paul's Cathedral, and the laying down of a wreath 

 of roses at the tomb of Peter the Great, the 

 founder of the garden, and on the following morn- 

 ing by a little shower of honours for the director 

 and his staff. 



The principal ceremony took place in the after- 

 noon in a building attached to the old herbarium, 

 in the presence of a brilliant gathering, including 

 the Princes Peter and Alexander of Oldenburg, 

 Prince Gagarin, representing Princess Eugenia of 

 Oldenburg, under whose patronage the garden is 

 placed, the Ministers of Agriculture, Commerce, 

 Justice, Public Cults, and Marine, and other pro- 

 minent officials, and a large number of delegates' 

 from the Russian academies, universities, botanic 

 gardens, and kindred institutions, and from foreign 

 countries. The solemn meeting was preceded by 

 a Te Deum, and formally opened by the Minister 

 of Agriculture, Mr. Kriwoshein. A rescript from 

 the Emperor was read, in which it was announced 

 that the garden would henceforth be known as 

 the Imperial Botanic Garden of Peter the Great. 

 Then followed an eloquent address by the director 

 of the garden, Prof. A. Fischer von Waldheim, 

 in which he traced the history of the garden and 

 its present organisation and object ; the recep- 

 tion of the delegates, and the presentation 

 of medals and souvenirs commemorating the 

 jubilee. 



The next day was reserved for the inspection 

 of the garden, museum, and laboratories, and in 

 the afternoon a visit to Peterhof, where the 

 guests experienced an exceptionally cordial recep- 

 tion. In the evening the festivities came to a 

 conclusion with a gala performance in the opera 

 house in the Narodni Dom. 



Most of the botanical gardens and many of the 

 other botanical institutions sent their congratu- 

 lations, whilst Bulgaria, Denmark, England 

 (Kew and Chelsea), Germanv, and Sweden were 

 represented by delegates. 



The garden was founded by Peter the Great 

 about 1713, so that it is practically as old as the 



