TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 
on Figure I. The moon appears to 
move over the sky in a circular path 
which lies near the ecliptic and which 
crosses it in two points. These paths 
are shown in Figure 2. I hey cross at 
A and B. Since the moon moves around 
the earth in a month it passes the point 
A once a month. The sun appears to 
move around its path once a year so 
that it passes the point A only once a 
year, lienee there are but two times in 
the year that the earth, sun, and moon 
are nearly in line — that is, when the 
sun and moon are both near A or B. 
The eclipse of the sun on March 28 
occurs by reason of the fact that the sun 
is near the direction of the point A and 
the moon in passing the point A comes 
between us and the sun. When the 
sun is in the direction of A the earth’s 
shadow lies in the direction of the op- 
posite point B. The moon passed this 
place two weeks earlier, March 14, and 
passes it again April 10. On March 14 
the moon passes the shadow a little 
bit too far to the right of B to have an 
eclipse as the moon is a little above the 
shadow. By April 10, when the moon 
again passes B, the earth’s shadow is 
to the left of B so far that the moon 
when it passes it lies below the shadow 
and no eclipse occurs. Thus the moon 
escapes eclipse at B and there is no 
chance of an eclipse until the sun 
reaches B and the shadow is near A in 
six months later. 
The sun crosses the equator, marking 
the beginning of spring, March 21, 4:59 
A. M. Eastern Standard time. 
Morning From My Balcony. 
Resplendent in the East, 
The morning red of sky; 
Above the tulip trees, 
The crescent moon on high. 
Late lingering in the West, 
One faintly gleaming star, 
Belated wanderer, 
Of myriad worlds afar: 
And rhythmic in the air, 
In softly whispering breeze, 
The little new-born leaves, 
A-flutter on the trees. 
This temple of the morn 
Hath choir all of birds, 
Their ecstasy of joy, 
To deep for uttered words. 
— Emma Peirce. 
143 
Discontinuance of “The Conserva- 
tonist.’’ 
“The Conservationist,” published at 
Albany, New York, by the New York 
State Conservation Commission, an- 
nounces in its number for December, 
1921, recently received, that the publi- 
cation is to be discontinued. It is evi- 
dent from the announcement that there 
is an unconscious compliment paid to 
all other organizations that save the 
expense of conservation laws and their 
enforcement by arousing a genuine in- 
terest in the wild things of nature. The 
longest lived, the most effective and 
most comprehensive of all organiza- 
tions in the interests of wild nature is 
The Agassiz Association that points 
with pride to its forty-six years of ef- 
fective work. 
“The Conservationist” in its dying 
swan song pays an unconscious tribute 
to us in our work and of course to the 
efforts of others of a similar nature. It 
says : 
“Theoretically speaking, were the 
people really educated in conservation, 
if they knew conditions as they are, if 
they were familiar with actual facts 
concerning our wild life, our forests or 
our waters, there would be no need for 
a Conservation Law. But such a situa- 
tion is of course millenial ; and in the 
meantime we can merely do our best in 
conservation education, the kind of 
education that reaches children in the 
schools, teachers, guides, sportsmen 
and the public in general. Once a gen- 
uine interest in the wild things of Na- 
ture is arouse, the battle is half won. 
This can be accomplished through 
magazines, newspapers, lectures, mo- 
tion pictures, lantern slides and field 
trips.” 
Pennsylvania, under the direction of 
Gifford Pinchot, the new commissioner 
of forestry, leads all states in forest 
activities. The biennial appropriation 
passed by the legislature and approved 
by the governor carried $1,870,000, an 
increase of $863,300 over the appropria- 
tion of 1919; $1,000,000 of the total is 
for fire protection. The legislature also 
passed an act empowering the federal 
government to acquire lands on the 
watersheds of navigable streams within 
the state, by purchase or condemnation, 
and to control and regulate such re- 
serves. — Science. 
