92 SCIENCE 
In order to carry on the work a separate 
section of the laboratory has been established 
under the title of the “Department of Syn- 
thetic Chemistry,” which will be under the 
immediate direction of Dr. H. T. Clarke, well 
known for his publications on organic chem- 
istry. 
In order to meet the need expressed in Pro- 
fessor Gortner’s letter and to make available to 
research laboratories in this country the or- 
ganic chemicals which they require, it is pro- 
posed that chemicals for research work shall 
be supplied at the lowest possible price. At 
first, no doubt, this price will necessarily be 
higher than that charged by the German firms 
before the war, but it is hoped that eventually 
the profit made on chemicals supplied for com- 
mercial purposes may enable the rarer ma- 
terials made in small quantities for research 
work to be sold at a price which will be within 
the reach of all who require them. 
At first, of course, the laboratory will be able 
to supply only a limited number of substances, 
and these in small amounts, but the depart- 
ment will be expanded to meet the demand 
and with the assistance of other laboratories 
interested in organic chemistry, and of the 
firms who are producing dyes and interme- 
diates, it is hoped that after a time an ade- 
quate supply of synthetic organic reagents can 
be made available. 
It is possible that laboratories may have in 
stock unusual reagents which they are un- 
likely to require. If any laboratories possess- 
ing such reagents will write to us we shall be 
glad to make an offer for the materials, thus 
making them available on the market. 
Our thanks are due to many of the chief 
chemists of the country who have encouraged 
us to commence this work and especially to 
Professor Roger Adams for the way in which 
he has received our proposals and has assisted 
us by placing at our disposal the information 
as to this work which he has accumulated. 
Communications regarding reagents should 
be addressed to the Research Laboratory, 
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y. 
C. E. K. Mrss 
July 11, 1918 
[N. S. Von. XLVIIT. No. 1230 
FIREFLIES FLASHING IN UNISON 
In Scrmnce for February 4, 1916, I pub- 
lished a short note entitled “ Fireflies Flash- 
ing in Unison” in which I gave my own 
observations with confirmatory notes of K,. G. 
Blair regarding a European species. This 
note led to a discussion in the pages of 
Science in which various views were expressed ; 
one writer throwing doubt on the correctness 
of my observations, another suggesting that I 
was deceived and the effect psychological, an- 
other that it was the result of coincidence and 
still another giving confirmatory evidence of 
the phenomenon in question. 
In Science for September 15, 1916, I was 
able through the courtesy of Professor EK. B. 
Poulton of Oxford, to note the advanced pages 
of a book entitled, “A Naturalist in Borneo,” 
by Mr. S. Shelford, an old student of Profes- 
sor Poulton. Mr. Shelford describes vividly 
the synchronous flashing of fireflies he ob- 
served in Borneo. In Science for October 27, 
1916, Mr. F. Alex. McDermott, who has made 
a special study of the light emission of Amer- 
ican Lampyride,! has found no periodicity in 
the phenomenon. Jn Scrmnce for November 
17, 1916, Mr. H. A. Allard says: 
The synchronal flashing of fireflies appears to be 
a very rare phenomenon in North America. So 
rarely does it seem to occur that one may consider 
himself fortunate if he has observed the phenome- 
non once in a lifetime. 
His observations were made at Oxford, 
Mass. A heavy thunder storm had passed 
over followed by a profound calm, the air was 
very warm and humid; thousands of these 
insects were sailing low over the ground 
flashing incessantly as far as the eye could 
see. After a while a most remarkable syn- 
chronism in the flashing appeared to take 
place, giving one the impression of alternating 
waves of illumination and darkness in the 
distance. Though Mr. Allard had given great 
attention to the flashing of fireflies since these 
observations were made twelve years before 
he had never since observed this phenomenon. 
In Science for September 28, 1917, Mr. 
Frank C. Gates, of Carthage College, from ex- 
1 Canadian Entomologist, Vols. 42, 43, 44. 
ee 
