SEPT. 19, 1921 proceedings: ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY 377 



served about 1800 square miles for future exploration. Restrictive legis- 

 lation, as outlined in this paper, somewhat hampers activities in the district. 

 The prospects indicate an output of potash ample for Spanish needs, but no 

 judgment can yet be ventured as to the influence of the Spanish field on the 

 world market. J. D. Sears. 



CERAMICS.— -A^o/^ on the motion of the stirrers used in optical-glass manu- 

 facture. E. D. Williamson and L. H. Adams. Journ. Amer. Ceramic 

 Soc. 3: 671-677. 1920. (Geophysical Lab. Papers on Optical Glass, 

 No. 25.) 

 Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the manufacture of optical 

 glass and that of other types of glass (bottle, window, and plate) is that the 

 melt must be stirred vigorously in order to get complete mixing. The reason 

 behind this necessity is the close approach to homogeneity specified in the 

 tests to be passed by the finished article. The stirrers used are necessarily 

 of a very simple nature, generally consisting of a clay rod attached at right 

 angles to an iron water-cooled pole, the other end of which is driven at steady 

 speed in a horizontal circle, while supported near the center by a pulley or 

 other support. Such a device does not cause circular motion of the stirring- 

 rod, but causes it to describe an egg-shaped figure at a variable speed. A 

 slightly more uniform motion is obtained if a pin attached to the pole slides 

 in a fiked slot instead of the pole passing over the pulley, but the general 

 results are not very different. If the support is not close to the center of the 

 pole, the motion of the rod is far from circular and a large part of the glass 

 in the pot is not stirred. E. D. W. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY AND AFFILIATED 



SOCIETIES 



ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



548th meeting 



The 54Sth meeting of the Society was held at the United States National 

 Museum on October 26, 1920, at 4.45 p.m. Dr. AlES Hrdlicka, curator 

 of physical anthropology, U. S. National Museum, addressed the Society on 

 The anthropological problems of the Far East and the Pacific. The lecture 

 was carefully prepared and dealt with a subject with which Dr. Hrdlicka was 

 most familiar both because of long study and recent field work. The paper 

 was discussed by Mr. Holmes, Mrs. Zelia Nuttall, Dr. Michelson, and 

 Dr. Swanton. 



549th meeting 



At the 549th meeting of the Society, held at the National Museum at 4 . 45 

 p.m. on November 16, 1920, Mr. Sylvanus G. MorlEy, Associate of the 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington, addressed the Society on The hiero- 

 glyphic writing of the ancient Mayas. Mr. Morley illustrated his excellent 

 presentation with charcoal drawings of the glyphs. At the conclusion of 

 Mr. Morley's lecture, Mr. W. E. Gates, of Baltimore, gave an interesting 

 and enthusiastic talk of ten minutes on the subject of Maya writing, and told 

 especially of recent progress which he has made in the deciphering of color 

 symbols, to which IMr. Morley had referred in his talk. 



