512 



NA TURE 



[October 14, 1922 



continuity ") and in independent sequences (the I 

 " test of agreement with other records ") are often 

 more important criteria of reality than is the height 

 of the intensity itself. The former test, at least, 

 should never be neglected ; it has led me to relegate 

 to my fourth class as merely " possible," several 

 periods, such as those near n, 17, and 24 years, 

 indicated by high intensities in the whole sequence, 

 but failing in either the first or the second half. 



Ultimately, of my fifteen intensities between 5 

 and 40 years, I have treated only nine (at 5-100, 

 5-671, 5-960, 8-050, 9-750, 12-840, 15-225, 19-900, 

 and 35-500 years respectively) as certainly or prob- 

 ably due to real periodicities, because they show in 

 all 'ims perfect or fair continuity and in most an 

 agreement with other records. The smallest of these 

 fifteen intensities (21-72 at 7-417 years) in fact equals 

 not 3a but 3-683(7. If with this revised figure, the 

 probabilities are calculated in the way suggested by 

 Dr. Walker, the odds that at least nine of the fifteen 

 intensities are not due to luck work out at more than 

 2000 to 1, while the odds in favour of seven at least 

 are 14,000 to 1. 



This remarkable result, which seems to establish 

 beyond all reasonable doubt the reign of periodicities 

 in wheat prices, is not affected by the fact that of the 

 fifteen intensities only four are so high that any one of 

 the four, if it occurred alone and had to be judged by 

 height alone, would have odds of more than 20 to 1 in 

 its favour. Each intensity does not occur alone. Every 

 period, moreover, to which I attach importance rests 

 on more evidence than mere height in my periodo- 

 gram. 



With reference to the last paragraph but one of Dr. 

 Walker's note, on the relation of my synthetic curve 

 and the rainfall, I should like to emphasise the point 

 made in my paper (pp. 449-450) that the synthetic 

 curve as now drawn represents only a first approxima- 

 tion of the roughest possible character ; the correla- 

 tion co-efficient of 0-38 between it and the rainfall from 

 1850 to 1921 is sufficient to demonstrate some con- 

 nexion between the wheat price cycles and the rain- 

 fall, but is in no sense to be treated as a measure of 

 the degree of connexion. In constructing the syn- 

 thetic curve, for instance, the periodicities have all 

 been treated as of equal importance ; inspection 

 shows that weighting according to the intensities 

 would almost certainly give a better fit and so a 

 higher co-efficient of correlation. In many other 

 ways a more accurate determination of the cycles is 

 required. How high a correlation might ultimately 

 be obtained as the result of this, it is impossible now 

 to say, but it might easily prove to be very high 

 indeed. Unfortunately, I have no resources for 

 carrying my own investigations further for the 

 present ; I can only hope that others may be better 

 placed. W. H. Beveridge. 



One Possible Cause for Atmospheric Electric 

 Phenomena A Query. 



May I ask Sir Arthur Schuster or Dr. Chree or 

 some other authority whether there is any serious 

 objection to an idea like the following : 



The sun being radio-active emits not only gam ma 

 rays, which ionise the atmosphere, but also alpha 

 and beta particles. The alpha particles will be 

 stopped by the upper layers of atmosphere, charging 

 them positively, while the beta particles will be more 

 penetrating, and might even reach the ground, 

 charging it negatively; though I admit that thirty 

 inches of mercury is a serious obstruction. But, as 

 Arrhenius showed, the beta particles would be 



magnetically inveigled towards the poles, where they 

 might descend with down currents : whereas the 

 alpha particles — most numerous near the tropics — 

 would be sustained by up currents ; and thereafter 

 the separated charges w r ould reunite with familiar 

 dielectric disruption. Oliver Lodge. 



Normanton, Lake, Salisbury, Sept. 29. 



School Instruction in Botany. 



In the article on " School Instruction in Botany " 

 in Nature of September 2, p. 329, the report on the 

 botany gardens of the James Allen's Girls' School, 

 recently published by the Board of Education, was 

 reviewed. As I am not only the author of the report 

 but also the initiator and organiser of the botany- 

 gardens at Dulwich, I shall be glad if space can 

 be afforded me to reply to the following comment 

 at the end of the article : "No mention is made in 

 the Report of the utilisation of the botany gardens 

 for the observation of animal life." The omission 

 is due to the fact that the report was written in 191 5 

 (see prefatory note) when some of the " gardens," 

 which are now of great help in studying animal life, 

 were in an undeveloped condition. 



For example, in 1915 the oak trees in the new 

 wood were only from three to four years old and 

 looked somewhat like sticks, as shown in Plate 10. 

 Since 191 5 the trees have grown so much that black- 

 birds, hedge sparrows, and a thrush have built nests, 

 laid their eggs and in all cases but one reared their 

 young in our wood. Advantage of this has been 

 taken and many girls have visited the nests. During 

 outdoor lessons, girls have learned to recognise birds 

 which frequent the school garden, and have become 

 familiar with their calls and songs. 



In the spring term the awakening of the numerous 

 frogs which hibernate in the school pond is eagerly 

 awaited. For a short period the pond is densely 

 populated by hundreds of croaking frogs. Later, 

 the development of the tadpoles through all the 

 stages is watched with the keenest interest by girls 

 of all ages. Observation of animal life in the pond 

 includes the study of the life-histories of china mark 

 moths, dragon flies, newts, great water beetles, water 

 boatmen, and water snails. On one occasion last 

 term main- girls watched the various stages in the 

 emergence of a china mark moth from its chrysalis. 



In these and in other ways the botany gardens at 

 the James Allen's Girls' School are utilised for the 

 observation of animal life. Lilian J. Clarke. 



James Allen's Girls' School, 



East Dulwich Grove, S.E.22, September 28. 



Transcription of Russian Names. 



In his further letter (Nature, July 15, p. 78) 

 Lord Gleichen refers to the Royal Geographical 

 Society's System (II.) for the transcription of foreign 

 alphabets into English. A copy of this system has 

 just reached us and impresses us with its completeness 

 and utility, especially for rendering place-names into 

 English. 



With regard to the transcription of Russian names 

 we agree with Lord Gleichen that French, German, 

 and hybrid transcriptions are unsatisfactory, but 

 we would advocate, with Prof. Brauner, an inter- 

 national system, and for this purpose the Czech 

 transcriptions have much to recommend them. 



In the first place, the Serbian alphabet contains 

 fewer letters than the Russian, and is thus inadequate 

 to allow of accurate transcription from Russian by 



NO. 2763, VOL. I IO] 



