Maech 14, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



261 



Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution of Washington, and by various mag- 

 netic observatories, institutions and individ- 

 uals who have offered their cooperation. 

 The stations of the Department of Terrestrial 

 Magnetism will be probably: (1) La Faz, 

 Bolivia; (2) Huancayo (north of belt of total- 

 ity); (3) iSTear Sobral, Brazil; (4) Lie Prin- 

 cipe or Libreville, French Congo ; (5) Stations 

 outside belt of totality by field parties as 

 fovmd possible. At station 3 complete mag- 

 netic and electric observations will be at- 

 tempted. 



The general scheme of work proposed by 

 the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism is 

 as foUows : 



1. Simultaneous magnetic observations of 

 any or all of the elements according to the 

 instrvunents at the observer's disposal, every 

 minute from May 29, 1919, 9" 58" a.m. to 

 4h 32m p j£_ Greenwich civil mean time, or 

 from May 28, 21" 58" to 4'^ 32" May 29, 

 Greenwich astronomical mean time. 



(To insure the highest degree of accuracy, 

 the observer should begin to work early 

 enough to have everything in complete readi- 

 ness in proper time. Past experience has 

 shown it to be essential that the same ob- 

 server make the readings throughout the en- 

 tire interval. If possible, similar observations 

 for the same interval of time as on May 29 

 should be taken on May 28 and 30, to afford 

 some means of determining the undisturbed 

 course of the magnetic declination.) 



2. At magnetic observatories, all necessary 

 precautions should be taken to insure that the 

 self-recording instruments will be in good 

 operation not only during the proposed inter- 

 val but also for some time before and after, 

 and eye-readings should be taken in addition 

 wherever it is possible and convenient. It 

 is recommended that, in general the magneto- 

 graph be run on the usual speed throughout 

 the interval, and that, if a change in record- 

 ing speed be made, every precaution possible 

 be taken to guard against instrumental 

 changes likely to affect the continuity of the 

 base line. 



3. Atmospheric-electric observations should 



be made to the extent possible with the ob- 

 server's equipment and personnel at his dis- 

 posal. At least observations of potential 

 gradient and conductivity (preferably both 

 positive and negative) should be made. 



4. Meteorological obser\'ations in accordance 

 with the observer's equipment should be made 

 at convenient periods (as short as iwssible) 

 throughout the interval. It is suggested that, 

 at least, temperature be read every fifth minute 

 (directly after the magnetic reading for that 

 minute). 



5. Observers in the belt of totality are re- 

 quested to take the magnetic reading every 

 thirty seconds during the interval, 10 minutes 

 before and 10 minutes after the time of to- 

 tality, and to read temperature also every 

 thirty seconds, before the magnetic readings. 



It is hoped that full rejaorts will be for- 

 warded as soon as possible for publication in 

 the journal of Terrestrial Magnetism and At- 

 mospheric Electricity. Those interested are 

 referred to the results of the observations 

 made during the solar eclipse of June 8, 1918, 

 the publication of which was begun in the 

 September, 1918, issue of the journal. A sum- 

 mary of the magnetic results obtained is given 

 in the March, 1919 issue. 



Louis A. Bauer 



Washington, D. C, 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



Charles Leander Doolittle, Flower pro- 

 fessor of astronomy, emeritus, at the Univer- 

 sity of Pennsylvania and director of the Flower 

 Observatory, died on March 3, aged seventy- 

 five years. 



Dr. William Williams Keen had conferred 

 on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws 

 by the University of Pennsylvania on Univer- 

 sity Day. In conferring the degree. Provost 

 Smith paid the following tribute to Dr. Keen : 

 William Williams Keen, voluminous writer on 

 medical subjects, especially surgery, in which 

 you have an international reputation; corre- 

 sponding member of learned societies in Eng- 

 land, Scotland, Belgium, France and Italy; 

 honored at home and abroad by ancient univer- 



