400 NEW P.OOKS. 



Geological Society uf Soi.'tu i\FRicA. — Monday, March i.sth: P. A. 

 Wagner. Ing.D.. B.Sc. President, in the chair. — " A'otcs on the Karroo 

 System in the Southern Kalahari" : Dr. A. L. du Toit. The solid 

 geology of the Kalahari is scarcely known because of the great develop- 

 ment of superficial deposits over the area. During the military opera- 

 tions of 1915, when a continuous series' of boreholes was being sunk. 

 the author was enabled to examine the sections of Karroo beds so ex- 

 posed. The information gathered sheds light on the stratigraphy of the 

 Karroo beds much further north-north-west, within the South-West 

 African Protectorate. The author proceeded to set forth his views on 

 the correlation of these beds vyith those already well established. Thror.gh 

 lack of pala?ontological data, however, it is not yet possible to conlirin 

 those views in all respects. 



South Aki:ican Institctk of Electrical Engineicrs. — Thursday. 

 March i6th : Prof. W. Buchanan, M.I.E.E , President, in the chair.— 

 "Description of the Kleinfontein Pozver Association's Phnit " : d. 

 Graham. The author gave a brief account of the scope of the Associa- 

 tion and of the site of its power station, and then went on to describe 

 the system of supply, the plant and its operation, the l)oilers. feed 

 pumps, turbines, and condensers, circulating svater jiumps, generators. 

 exciters, switchgear, and auxiliary supply. 



Chemical, Metallurgical, and Mk^jin*. Society of South Afrk a. — 

 Saturday. March i8th : J. K. Thomas, A.I.M.M., M.Am.l.E.E., President. 

 in the chair. — "Notes on rare minerals in Madagascar" : T. P. "Waites. 

 The central portion of Madaga.scar, about 100 miles south-west of Tana- 

 narive, is extraortlinarily ricli in uranium and nio'iium minerals, wliich 

 occur in pegmatite. Analyses were given of four uraniferous minerals. 

 Blomstrandite. Betahte, Samiresite, and Ampangabeite. containing from 

 ig to 26 per cent, of UO3 and from 23 to 45 i>er cent, of NbaOs. The author 

 predicted that the district will Itocome the prenuer producer of uranium. 

 and will enable radium to be obtained at a cost wliich will render ir 

 much more freely available than hitherto. Near Antsirabe, in a deep 

 river cutting, a deposit of uranium phosphate is exposed, and it is also 

 found in the district of Analalava, in the north-west of the island. — 

 "Analysis of Niobiuin.-titaninni minerals, ivith some new tests for niobium. 

 tantalum, and titanium": Dr. J. Moir. The author described an im- 

 proved process for separating the constituents of euxenite, peschynitc, 

 pyrochlore, and similar minerals. The method is not quantitative. Four 

 new reactions of niobic acid and niobates were described. The autlior 

 also stated that niobium and taiUalum, separately boiled in concentrated 

 sulphuric acid, gave different reactions if treated witli phenolic bodies on 

 cooling. This led to the possibility of confirming niobium in the presence 

 of tantalum. It was further stated that the thymol test for titanium is 

 much intensified Iw adding sulphocyanide after reducing with zinc and 

 hydrochloric acid. — "Some nciL' methods of tcstiw^ for molybdenum": 

 Dr. J. Moir. '{'lie blue colour produced in the reduction of mohbdic 

 acid by nascent hydrogen is obtained as a specially sensitive test if the 

 molybdic acid solution is faintly acid with mineral acid, and a few drops 

 only of highly dilute stannous chloride are added. Hydrazine forms the 

 best reagent for developing the blue colour Other modifications of and 

 improvements upon well known tests for molybdenum were described. 



XEW BOOKS. 



LeiKin, Evans — " The Germans and Africa" Qi X (>2 '"• PP- >^^ iii- 

 317. Map. F. A. Stokes Co.: New York. rgis. $3.60. 



Werner, A — "The language families of Africa." 7^ X 5 in. PP- viii. 

 150. Sketch map. London: Society for Promoting Christian 

 Knowledge. 191 5. 3s. 6d. 



