with the rod moving in front of the disc, there appear bands of two colors alternately disposed, and neither of these colors is the fused color of the disc.  Rather are these two colors approximately the majority and minority colors of the disc as seen at rest.  Thus, the recognition of but one set of bands and the conclusion (ibid., p. 208) that ’the bands originate during the vision of the minority color,’ are wholly erroneous.  The bands originate as well during the vision of the majority color, and, as will later be shown, the process is continuous.

Again, it is incorrect, even in the case of those bands seen behind the open sector, to call the bands ‘images of the rod,’ for images of the rod would be of the color of the rod, whereas, as our authors themselves say (ibid., p. 201), the bands ’are of a color similar to that present in greater proportion’ on the disc.  Moreover the ’images of the rod’ are of the most diverse widths.  In fact, we shall find that the width of the rod is but one of several factors which determine the width of its ‘images,’ the bands.

Prejudiced by the same error is the following statement (ibid., p. 208):  “With the majority color darker than the minority color the bands are darker than the resulting mixture, and lighter when the majority color is the lighter.”  If this is to be true, one must read for ‘the bands,’ ‘the narrower bands.’

Another observation found in this article must be criticised.  It is asserted that difference of shade between the two sectors of the disc, as well as difference of color, is essential to the illusion.  To support this, four cases are given:  two in which the sectors were so similar in luminosity as to bring out the illusion but faintly; two in which like luminosities yielded no illusion at all.  The present writer agrees that if the two sectors are closely similar in luminosity, the illusion is fainter.  He also selected a red and a green so near each other in brightness that when a rod 4 mm. broad (which is the largest rod that Jastrow and Moorehouse mention having used) was passed by hand before the disc, no trace of a band could be seen.  The pendulum, however, bearing a shield considerably wider than 4 mm. (say of 15 degrees) and moving before the very same red and green shades, mixed in the same proportions, yielded the illusion with the utmost clearness.  Colors of like luminosities yield the illusion less strikingly, nevertheless they yield it.

Again (op. cit., p. 205), these authors say:  “It has been already observed that the distance between the bands diminishes as the rotation rate and the rate of movement of the rod increases.”  But what had been said before is (ibid., p. 203) that ’the bands are separated by smaller and smaller spaces as the rate of movement of the rod becomes slower and slower’; and this is equivalent to saying that the distance between the bands diminishes as the rate of movement of the rod decreases.