GEOPHYSICAL LABORATORY. 167 



reactions of aggregates, for example, oceanic water, silicate rocks; (3) prop- 

 erties and reactions of larger units of matter, for example, glaciers, batholiths. 

 The lines of research now being followed in these various branches of the 

 subject are briefly summarized or commented upon. 



(401) Unification of symbols and diagrams. W. P. White. Science, 51, 414-417 (1920). 

 A widespread effort has been made to unify the symbols used in physical 



and chemical formulae. This movement has been mainly directed to quanti- 

 ties of wide and general use, such as time, temperature, volume, expansion. 

 It is suggested in this paper that the movement might well be extended to 

 special subjects, treating each partly by itself. Thus, in calorimetry, there 

 are several temperatures to be dealt with which might better be distinguished 

 in the same way by different writers; in the study of heat engines, still other 

 temperatures, needing a different designation. It is also suggested that the 

 labor of all these details might be largely thrown on the writers in the various 

 subjects, with a committee to act as referee but not to take the burden of 

 prescribing for the whole field. If no such authoritative committee can be 

 obtained, writers themselves can accomplish much by cooperation, or even 

 by following the rule of not wantonly changing a notation already in use. 

 The same suggestions apply to the lettering of diagrams. 



(402) Note on augite from Vesuvias and Etna. H. S. Washington and H. E. Merwin 



Am. J. Sci., 1, 20-30 (1921). 



In this paper are given a description and analysis of the crystals of augite 

 collected by Dr. Washington at the bottom of the crater of Vesuvius in 1914, 

 with crystallographic determination by Dr. Merwin. The fact that the 

 chemical composition of the crystals is almost identical with that of pyrox- 

 enites of Monte Somma, described by Lacroix, is mentioned, and the relative 

 merits of the gravitative adjustment and fractional crystaUization theoriea 

 of certain forms of differentiation are discussed. 



Crystals of augite from Monti Rossi, of the eruption of 1669 at Etna, are 

 also described, with a new analysis and optical determinations. It is pointed 

 out that no good analyses of the augites of either Vesuvius or Etna are to 

 be found in the Uterature. The early work of Spallanzani (circa 1790) is 

 described briefly, and it is shown that he was the first to determine 

 the relative melting-points of the feldspars and augite and to measure their 

 relative magnetic susceptibility, and that therefore he is to be regarded as the 

 first experimental geophysicist. There is also given a comparison of the 

 chemical compositions of various ItaUan augites with the lavas that contain 

 them. 



(403) Note on crucibles used in rock analysis. Henry S. Washington. J. Wash. Acad. 



Sci., 11, 9-13 (1921). 



An experience in rock analysis with a palau and an iridium-platinum crucible 

 is described. It was found that, for the fusion with sodium carbonate, the 

 cold cake frees itself much more readily from palau (not a case of its adhering 

 having been noted during many fusions) than from iridium-platinum, and 

 still more readily than from pure platinum. Two series of weighings showed 

 that after 47 fusions the palau crucible lost, on an average, 0.2 milUgram per 

 fusion, while the iridium-platinum crucible lost, on an average, 0.47 milUgram. 

 The greater loss of the latter is probably to be ascribed in part to loss of iridium 

 by volatihzation. 



(404) A meteor fall in the Atlantic. Henry S. Washington. Science, 53, 90-91 (1921). 

 A note putting on record the newspaper report of the fall of a meteorite 



m the Atlantic Ocean in October 1906. 



