574 TRANSACTUms (IF St)ClETIES. 



TRANSACTIONS OF SOCIETIES. 



Royal Society of South Africa. — Wednesday, October 30th : 

 Prof. J. D. F. Gilchrist, M.A., D.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S., 

 President, in the chair. — " Hceiiiolysis by scniiii in conibination 

 imth certain benzol bodies": Prof. T. J. Mackie. It has been shown 

 that while serum-complement acts as hosmolysin in the presence of a 

 specific immune body, and also along with colloidal silicic acid, serum is 

 also capable of producing lysis- of red blood corpuscles which have been 

 treated with certain benzol bodies. The paper records the result of 

 experiments carried out with brilliant green. " A possible lunar influence 

 upon the velocity of the wind at Kimberley" : Dr. J. R. Sutton. The question 

 was discussed whether there is a lunar term in the velocity of the wind at 

 Kimberley. The results of hourly observations made during 180 lunations 

 reveal only one definite maximum and minimum of velocity in the lunar 

 curve, the former falling about three hours before lunar midnight, the 

 latter just before lunar noon; the range being .20 mile an hour. When 

 the moon is in south declination, the maximum of velocity is near lunar 

 noon and the minimum near lunar midnight : the opposite being the case 

 when the moon is north; the respective ranges of velocity are greater than 

 one would have expected to find. — "South African Perisporiacece : k'. Notes 

 on an interesting collection from Natal" : Dr. Ethel M. Doidge. A number 

 of leaf fungi from Natal, chiefly belonging to the genus Meliola, and 

 including hitherto undescribed species. — " Fusion of Karroo grits in contact 

 with dolcrite intrusions" : Prof. A. Young. Certain unusual contact 

 alterations occurring in the Heilbron district were described. Dolerite 

 intrusions have apparently fused the Karroo sandstone or grit to a dark 

 glass resembling pitchstone. The contacts are sharply defined, and the 

 vitrification extends to a distance of several yards from tlie actual contact 

 plane. The dolerite presents no abnormal features. The sandstone contains 

 much soda felspar. The glass miglit be called a pitchstone. — " On 

 Hyalite": J. S.van der Lingen and A. R. E- Walker The points of 

 resemblance between hyalite and liquid spheruiites were noted. The truth 

 of the statement that liquid spheruiites and — under certain conditions — 

 hyalite, give uniaxial figures when examined in convergent polarised light is 

 questioned. — "On Anatase" : J. S. van der Lingen and A. R. E. Walker. 

 A radiograph of anatase shows that, according to the usual interpretation 

 of such a photograph, the mineral possesses full tetragonal symmetry. — 

 " On radioactive and other minerals associated with fossH wood from 

 the Beaufort Series'': A. R. E. Walker. A description of torbernite and 

 a mineral allied to uranocircite occurring, associated with calcite and 

 barytes, encrusting and impregnating fossil wood from beds of Lower 

 Beaufort age — " On Tantalite crystals from N amaqualand " : A. R. E. 

 Walker. A description of a number of crystals from a tantalite 

 prospect. — " Colour and Chemical Constitution : Part V. The yellowness 

 of certain phthaleins when acid" : Dr. J. Moir. Phenolsulphonephtha- 

 lein, on account of its high ionisation, does not form a colourless ring- 

 lactone like phenolphthalein, but remains yellow when acidified : it is 

 really the orthosulphonic acid of benzaurine. Benzaurine parasulphonic 

 acid and benzaurine-carboxylic methylester have been found to possess 

 the same property of yellowness in acid solution^ "Part VI. The ultra-violet 

 spectra of the phthaleins" : A discussion of Howe and Gibson's discovery 

 of violet and ultra-violet absorption-bands in alkaline phthaleins.. " Part 

 VII. Inorganic phenomena in connection with cobalt, nickel, manganese^ 

 and uranium!' "Part VIII. Fluorescence and its laws": On comparison 

 of the spectra of dissolved (ionised) salts of these metals with those of the 

 salts in the solid state, " loading " elifects are observed similar to those 

 shown by the phthaleins. The formation of blue cobalt compounds is 

 ascribed to considerable increase of molecular weight due to combination 

 with environing molecules. 



