342 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



Selective Radiation of Rare Oxides. 



Mr. W. G. Mallory has nearly completed his study of the selective 

 radiation of certain rare oxides. It is estabUshed, by direct spectro- 

 photometric comparison of the radiation from erbium oxide with the 

 radiation of a black body having the same temperature, that the inten- 

 sity in the bands greatly exceeds that of corresponding wave-length 

 from the black body, whereas the intermediate regions are relatively 

 much weaker. 



Electrical and Thermal Properties of Iron Oxides. 



Dr. Bidwell's measurements of the resistance and thermo-electric 

 power of these oxides have been carried to the melting-points at about 

 1,520° and values of the thermal conductivity of Fe203 to 1,050° have 

 been obtained. The previously reported^ transformation of Fe203 

 at 710° to 730° is verified. Below this point the thermo-electric line 

 is straight, but a maximum positive value is reached in the neighbor- 

 hood of 1,125° C, above which temperature the values decrease to 

 zero and become negative. A transformation at 1,320°, probably 

 involving some further change of structure, is clearly indicated by the 

 trend of the thermo-electric line. 



The electrical resistance of re203 is found to obey the exponential 

 law suggested by Konigsberger for substances of this class. The 

 change of thermal conductivity of re203 is found to be a linear function 

 of the temperature. The widely different electrical behavior of Fe304 

 as compared with Fe203 is clearly brought out in the data. 



Miscellaneous. 



The work of Mr. C. C. Murdock on photo-electric currents in cells 

 ha^'ing a fluorescent solution as an electrolyte is nearly completed. 



The researches of Dr. R. W. King on thermal conductivities and on 

 the properties of thin films," and those of Mr. Austin Bailey on the Zee- 

 man effect in the reversible bands of the uranyl spectra, have been inter- 

 rupted by the war, which has called these and many other members 

 of oui' staff to other duties. 



PSYCHOLOGY. 



Franz, Shepherd I., Government Hospital for the Insane, Washington, 

 D. C. Investigation of the functions of the cerebrum. (For previous 

 reports see Year Books Nos. 4-10, 12, 15.) 



Observations on the instinctive activities of some of the monkeys 

 used for operative purposes in connection with the studies of cerebral 

 function have been made by Dr. K. S. Lashley and the results have 

 been published. This work referred especially to the use of the right 



iC. C. Bidwell, Physical Review (2), viii, p. 12 (1916). 

 -R. W. King; Physical Re^^ew (2), x, p. 291 (1917). 



