Ball Lightning
a curious form of atmospheric electricity of which many strange antics have been recorded by retery to scientists. It takes the form of a luminous ball or ball-like mass which tery to scientists. It takes the form of a luminous ball or ball-like mass which sometimes disappears through an open the air of a room, but more commonly into contact with some solid object. A theory advanced by Dr. Houston is that the lightning ball is composed of disso- ciated atoms of matter torn off by ordiciated atoms of matter torn off BIOCLIMATIC LAW completed in 1925 at a cost of $1,000,000, the gift of Americans. some "big brother." off by ordinary lightning discharges and left floating in the air, intensely heated and highly charged with electricity. The explosions with which the balls disappear would be explained by the energy with which such dissociated atoms would naturally recombine upon losing their great heat. Dr. W. J. Humphreys has suggested that the lightning balls are cases of "stalled thunderbolts" or electrical discharges which have not been able to complete their path through the air to the earth.
BALTIC STATES (Esthonia, Latvia, Lithuania). Esthonia and Latvia rec- Helsingfors Conference (July 25-28), looking to formation of Baltic League. No results owing to threats of war from Russia. All three states admitted to League of Nations at second assembly (September, 1921). Economic conference of Baltic States, Finland, and Russia at Riga (November, 1921). Vilna dispute between Lithuania and Poland (see VILNA). pute between Lithuania and Poland (see VILNA). logical services of the world for the purrecently adopted by the leading meteorological services of the world for the puring pressures in units of length. The bar is equal to 1,000,000 dynes per square ing pressures in units of length. The one bar is equivalent to 29.531 inches of mercury on the old-fashioned barometer one bar is equivalent to 29.531 inches of forty-five. mercury on the old-fashioned barometer scale, at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, latitude mental scale of wind force devised by and named for Admiral Beaufort. It