xxii. Proceedings. \_April ^th, 1922. 



accepting Wegener's theor3^ of the origin of continents than by 



an}^ other h3'pothesis. 



General Meeting, April 4th, 1922. 



Mr. T. A. Coward, M.vSc, F.Z.vS, F.vS.vS. (President), in the 

 the Chair. 



The following gentlemen were elected Ordinary'- Members of 

 the Society : — 



Robert Bruce Harley, B.Sc. (St. Andrews), A.I.C., Research Chemist. 

 The British Alizarine Co., Ltd., Trafford Park, Manchester. Rupert 

 William Palmer, M.C., M.Sc, F.G.S., Senior Lecturer in Geology and 

 Palaeontology. The University, Manchester. George Ernest Collins, 

 M.Sc.Tech., A.LC, F.C.S., Physical and Colloid Chemist. 37, Marshall 

 ffoad, Levenshulme, Manchester. Ernest Clark, B.Sc.,. Vice-Principal of 

 The Royal Technical College, Salf ord, and Chief Lecturer in Chemistry. 

 The Royal Technical College, Salford. Cecil J. T. Cronshaw, Works 

 Manager. The British Dyestuffs Corporation [Blackley), Ltd., Blacklty, 

 Manchester. William Granville Pemberton, Chemist. 60, Delamert 

 Avenue, Pendleton, Manchester. Francis Philip Slater, Physicist to 

 The Fine Cotton Spinners' & Doublers' Association, Ltd. Rock Bank, 

 BoUington, near Macclesfield. 



Ordinary Meeting, April 4th, 1922. 

 Mr. T. A. Coward, M.Sc, F.Z.S., F.E.S. {President), followed 

 by Mr. W. Henry Todd (Vice-President), in the Chair. 



The President exhibited a Smelt, Osmerus eperlanus, which 

 he picked up at Rostherne Mere on March 31st. These anadro- 

 mous fish have been land-locked in the mere for at least 200 

 years, as described in a short paper paper on the subject read 

 before the Society on May 7th, 1912. 



Miss Winifred M. Crompton, M.A., made the following short 

 communication : — 



An ancient Egyptian flax bat for beating the flax stems, a 

 wooden flax stripper for removing the seed capsules, and some 

 samples of ancient Egyptian linen, all from the Manchester 

 Museum, were shown by Miss W. M. Crompton. She explained 

 that an examination of these cloths had been made b}" the late 

 Mr. W. W. Midgley, of Bolton, and his report published in 

 Petrie, " Heliopolis, Kafr Ammr and Shurafa," proved that the 

 fibres were in the majority of cases finer than the finest quality 

 of the present day, clearly showing that retting, heckling and. 

 carding were well understood. In one sample exhibited the 

 measurements were : — 



Average diameter of 10 fibres in warp = 2173 to an inch. 



weft=i925 

 Fibre of minimum diameter =5000 „ 



(The present finest Irish linen, — average 1818, minimum 2857). 

 Another sample, not in Manchester, contained fibres equalling 

 6666 to an inch. The samples dated to 3300 b.c. 



