66 TRANSACTIONS OF SOCIHITIES. 



Phrendrilid from Sneeuw Kop, Wellington, South Africa": Prof. E. J. 

 Goddard. A new form, discovered on the Wellington Mountains, was 

 doscriljcd by the author.— " Notes on spodumene from Namaqualand " : 

 G. C. Scully, and A. R. E. Walker. .\ lithia-bearing mineral collected 

 near Jackal's Water, Steinkopf. From optical and other physical characters 

 the authors refer this mineral to the .species spodumene. 



Wednesday, .September 17th : Dr. L. Peringuey, F.E.S., F.Z.S., Presi- 

 dent, in tlie cliair. — "On the interpretation of the electro-cardiogram"; 

 Prof. W. A. Jolly. The author has ai-rived at an explanation of the 

 various features of the curve, based upon experiments on the isolated tor- 

 tc;ise heart. — " A contrilnition to our knowledge of the anatomy of the 

 cliamaeleon" :The Hon. P. .'X.Methuen and J. Hewitt. The authors con- 

 clude that the most generalised and probably most primitive forms are the 

 genera Brookesia and Rhamphoteon. whilst the viviparous small chamae- 

 leons of the pumilus group are the most primitive in the genus Chamae- 

 leon ; for these latter species, pumilus and allies, the authors revive the 

 old generic name Lophosaura of Gray. The family has probably spread 

 from a centre of origin situated in that portion of the Ethiopian region of 

 which there now remains two separated components, Madagascar and 

 the Cape Province of Sclater. — " Note on the pollination of Enccphalartos 

 Allenstcinii (KafTir Bread Tree) " Prof. R. Marloth. The insect on 

 which the transport of the pollen from the male cone to the female cone of 

 Enccphalartos Alfeusteiiiii and E. villosus depends is Antlianiiiiius Zainiae. 

 The female insect pollinates the ovules while moving about between them 

 for the purpose of depositing its eggs. Although according to Dr. Rattray's 

 observations, some, most, or all the seeds of a cone are thus destroyed by 

 the grubs of the insect, the visits of the insect are nevertheless essential 

 to the plant, for without them no seeds would be formed at all. There 

 are only three species of Antliarrhinus known, and the genus is, as far as 

 observed, entirely confined to Eastern Cape Province. 



Cape CHE.\ncAi. Society. — Friday, September 19th: Prof. R. Marloth, 

 M.A., Ph.D.. President, in the chair. — " Note on the methods of determina- 

 tion of nicotin in tobacco and tobacco extracts " : Prof. P. D. Hahn. 

 The method prescribed by Uhlex results in discrepancies which make the 

 percentages of nicotin appear far hirgcr than the amounts actually present. 

 This is evidently due to distillation in the steam of proteid compounds 

 which are subsequently calculated as nicotin. — " Preliminary note on soil 

 investigations in the Olifants River Valley, Van Rhynsdorp Division " : 

 Dr. C. F. Juritz. The author described the nature of the country tra- 

 versed in a Hying soil survey, with particular attention to the indigenous 

 vegetation. Tables showing (i) percentages of plant food, (2) propor- 

 tions of brack salts, and (3) results of mechanical analysis of about 60 

 soils were given. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Pratt, Ambrose. — The Real South Africa. 8vo. pp. xix, 282. Maps and 



illustrations. London: Holden & Hardingham, 1913. 24 oz., 



los. 6d. 

 O'Niel, Rev. J— ^ grammar of the Sindcbelc dialect of Zulu. i2mo., 



pp. xii, 177. London : Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co.. 



1913. 8 oz., 7s. 6d. 



Lyne, R. Ji.— Mozambique : its agricultural development. 8vo., pp. 352. 

 Map and illus. London : T. Fisher LTnwin, 1913. 26 oz., 12s. 6d. 



Pettman, Rev. C. — Africanderisms : a glossary of South Afriian collo- 

 quial words and phrases, and of place and other names. Royal 

 8vo., pp. xvii, 579. London : Longmans, Green & Co., 1913. 32 oz., 

 I2S. 6d. 



