ON EADIOTELEGRAPHIC INVESTIGATIONS. 39 



Radiotelegraphic Investigations. — Report of the Committee, con- 

 sisting of Sir Olivee Lodge (Chairman), Dr. W. H, Eccles 

 (Secretary), Mr. Sidney G-. Brown, Dr. C. Chree, Pro- 

 fessor A. S. Eddington, Dr. Erskine-Murray, Professors 

 J. A. Fleming, GT. W. 0. Howe, H. M. Macdonald, and 

 J. W. Nicholson, Sir Henry Norman, Captain H. E. 

 Sankey, Professor A. Schuster, Sir Napier Shaw, Professor 

 S. P. Thompson, and Professor H. H. Turner. 



Effect of ihe War on the Worlc of the Committe-e. 



The war has had a very direct effect on radiotelegraphic investigations. 

 About the beginning of August 1914 private wireless telegraph 

 stations throughout the Empire nearly all stopped collecting statistics, 

 while naval and other Government stations stopped all merely scientific 

 observing. The radiotelegraphic stations in Russia, Germany, and 

 neighbouring countries doubtless discontinued the filhng up of our 

 forms as soon as mobilisation began. A few stations in India, 

 Australia, Canada, the West Indies, and the United States are, how- 

 ever, still at work. In the last-named country about 30 stations are 

 making observations. 



The Committee's programme for the collection of statistics three days 

 a week in all parts of the English-speaking world, and in a few other 

 countries, was planned to embrace one complete round of the seasons. 

 The fact that the programme has been interrupted after only tlxree 

 months of work diminishes greatly the scientific value of such statistics 

 as have been collected. It also implies considerable financial loss. A 

 large batch of Forms was distributed to our Navy in July ; in clearing 

 for action these Fonns would probably be wasted. The German edition 

 was distributed in June. The Russian .edition also was probably dis- 

 tributed before the outbreak of war. 



The extensive scheme of special observations projected for the 

 occasion of the solar eclipse failed almost completely in the countries 

 in which the eclipse was visible. A small amount of work was done in 

 Norway and Sweden. All the necessary Forms had been printed, and 

 some had been circulated, before the war started. The financial loss to 

 the Committee in this respect exceeds a hundred pounds. 



The day-by-day statistics collected in the period April to Julj' have 

 been partially analysed. The conclusions drawn from these observations 

 are described below. Apart from any scientific value they possess 

 they yield information which will guide the Committee, when the time 

 comes, to further attacks on the problems concerned. A similar 

 thought may be set down as consolation for the eclipse failure. 



Analysis of Records of Strays. 



Diurnal Variations. 



The principal and most universal fact is that the strays heard in the 

 dark hours are much more numerous and louder than those heard during 



