Jl8 TRANSACTIONS OF SOCIETIES. 



C. M. Stewart (see 1904 Report of S.A. Association for Advancement of 

 Science, page 118) the author brought to notice a series of synoptic charts 

 of the weather conditions from June 8th to 13th, 1902. It was concluded 

 that the condition shown was the only one that could bring a blizzard 

 over the East. — " A list of South African lacertilia, ophidia, and batrachia 

 in the McGregor Museum, Kimberley, with field notes «n various species " : 

 J. Hewitt, and J. H. Power. The present-day fauna of the Kimber- 

 ley district is shown to be composite, a new element having been intro- 

 duced along with timber from Bechuanaland. — " On the salivary and 

 mouth glands of the nudibranchiata " : Dr. T. F. Dreyer. — "The leaf- 

 spots of Richardia albo-maculata Hook " : W. T. Saxton. The structure 

 and development of the white streaks in the leaves of two species of 

 Richardia were described, and their origin discussed. These spots are 

 conspicuous in the mature leaf, but absent from very young leaves. They 

 differ from the white regions of the ordinary type of variegated leaf in 

 the fact that the palisade parenchyma is quite absent. Plastids are very 

 scarce within the area of the leaf spots. — " Some new or little-known 

 South African succulents " : Prof. R. Marloth. The plants specially 

 dealt with comprised Crassula teres, which belongs to the small subgenus 

 Pyramidella ; Euphorbia ferox, which forms lumps about a foot in dia- 

 meter, coloured brown like the soil, and provided with a formidable 

 armament of stout spines; Aloe purpurascens, hitherto known only from 

 cultivated specimens, but recently procured by the author from the mouth 

 of the Klein River. 



Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa. — 

 Saturday, September 21st : W. R. Dowling, M.I.M.M., President, in the 

 chair. — " A Research upon a refractory Gold ore " : M. Green. A typi- 

 cally refractory ore from the Mount Morgan mine in the Barberton 

 District, which had long withstood all attempts to treat it successfully, 

 had been thoroughly investigated. The results of the investigation were 

 detailed and a scheme for complete treatment of the ore was outlined. 



South African Institution of Engineers. — Saturday, October 12th: 

 Mr. J. A. Yule, President, in the chair. — "The braking of high-speed 

 winding engines": G. K. Chambers. The author referred to the diffi- 

 culties encountered in the braking of high-speed hoists. If the maximum 

 duty is to be obtained from a high-speed hoist under all conditions, power 

 braking must be resorted to in order to bring the speed within the safe 

 limits of mechanical braking. The various systems of power braking 

 were then discussed under the heads of (1) non-generative or power- 

 consuming systems, (2) regenerative systems, and (3) self-generative 

 svstems. 



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