December 3, 1914] 



NATURE 



383 



different angular momenta. The formulae, although 

 possessing the same general features, are not so simple 

 as those lor the Conway orbits. The etfect of radia- 

 tion is next considered. The motion of the corpuscle 

 gives rise to radiation disturbance inside and outside 

 the nucleus, while the nucleus produces radiation in 

 the manner proved by Lamb. The disturbance can 

 be analysed into terms of electric and magnetic type. 

 In each case a series of values of rla are found for 

 which the reaction on the corpuscle becomes very 

 small, and so it is argxied that the corpuscular orbit 

 for which rja has one of these values is comparatively 

 stable and gives a spectral line. Following Lamb in 

 supposing that the dielectric ratio is great, we find 

 that from the Conway orbits w'ith magnetic type of 

 disturbance we get the recognised Balmer formula, 

 while with the electric type of disturbance we get a 

 series closely resembling the Rydberg formula. In 

 addition to these series we ought to get Lamb's series 

 from the nucleus, but quite consistently with the theory 

 they may be in the infra-red or the ultra-violet. In 

 order to fit the formula of Balmer type with 

 the hydrogen series, and taking e m = i-7xio', 

 /t = i-8x 10-^*, the radius of the nucleus required is 

 about 2 X 10-" cm.— W. Jevons : Spectroscopic investi- 

 gations in connection with the active modification of 

 nitrogen. IV. — A band spectrum of boron nitride, 

 (i) The interaction of active nitrogen and boron tri- 

 chloride or methyl borate develops a band spectrum 

 extending from A 6371 to at least A 2 140, with well- 

 defined heads degrading throughout towards the red. 

 (2) The new spectrum consists mainly of two distinct 

 systems, in the less refrangible of which each band 

 consists of four heads forming two close doublets. 

 The more refrangible system has single heads, and 

 thus resembles the silicon nitride spectrum described 

 in a previous paper. (3) The wave-lengihs of the 

 heads have been measured, and the wave-numbers in 

 each system have been classified and represented by 

 formulae in the usual manner. (4) Chemical and 

 spectroscopic evidence has established that the origin 

 of the spectrum is boron nitride. Boron, carbon, and 

 silicon compounds are thus alike in developing nitride 

 spectra in the nitrogen afterglow. (5) The boron 

 njtride bands, like those of cyanogen, are produced in 

 the electric arc spectrum where they occur, together 

 with bands of the oxide. — Prof. E. Wilson : An addi- 

 tional note on the production of high permeability in 

 iron. It has been shown that if stalloy in laminated 

 ring form is subjected to a magnetising force due to 

 a direct current whilst it is cooling through the tem- 

 perature at which it regains its magnetic properties, 

 and is at the same time shielded from the influence of 

 the earth's magnetism, the permeability recovered at 

 atmospheric temperature has a maximum value of 

 more than 10,000 when the magnetic induction was 

 of the order 6000 C.G.S. units. It had been shown 

 previously that high values of the permeability can 

 be obtained without the use of a speciaP magnetic 

 shield when iron has impressed upon it a magnetising 

 force, due to an alternating current, during the time 

 that it cools through the temperature at which it 

 regains its magnetic properties. .As, however, in the 

 last-mentioned case, an iron tube was used to enclose 

 the specimen and became heated with the specimen, 

 it was thought desirable to discover whether the high 

 value of the permeability can be obtained when there 

 is no question of magnetic shielding. In the present 

 experiments the specimen of stalloy in ring form was 

 allowed to cool inside a sealed fire-clay crucible, when 

 subjected to a magnetising force of 13 C.G.S. units, 

 and at atmospheric temperature a permeability of 

 more than 10,000 was again obtained. Further ex- 

 periments have been made -with stalloy in the form of 

 straight strips. The specimen which consisted of a num- 

 NO. 2353, VOL. 94] 



ber of strips side by side w^as wound with a magnetising 

 coil and then placed inside an iron tube. On allowing 

 it to cool through the temperature at which magnetic 

 quality is regained, when subjected to a magnetising 

 force due to a direct current, the improvement in 

 maximum permeability, wnen at atmospheric tempera- 

 ture, was small, andJiad apparently disappeared when 

 re-tested at the maker's works. 



Royal Anthropological Institute, November 17. — Prof. 

 A. Keith, president, in the chair. — ^The Hon. John 

 Abercromby : The prehistoric pottery of the Canary 

 Islands and its makers. In the museums of the 

 Grand Canary, Teneriffe, and Palma a considerable 

 number of prehistoric vessels are preser\'ed. .Anthro- 

 pologists are agreed that the natives of the archipelago 

 at the time of its conquest in the fifteenth centurj^ 

 were a composite people made up of at least three 

 stocks : a Cro-Magnon tyjse, a Hamitic or Berber 

 type, and a brachycephalic type. These natives were 

 in a Neolithic stage of civilisation. Their arms were 

 slings, clubs, and spears. Most of the people went 

 naked, except for a girdle round the loins, and there 

 was no intercommunication between the islands. 

 Their stone implements were of obsidian or of basalt. 

 Only four polished axes are known from the Grand 

 Canary- and one from Gomera. The axes are of 

 chloromelanite, and of a t>pe contemporary with 

 megalithic structures in France. The first colonists 

 probably brought the knowledge of making pottery 

 with them, but each island developed an individualit}- 

 of its own. Even the painted ware of the Grand 

 Canary appears to be of local origin and not due to 

 external influence. Although undoubted Lybian in- 

 scriptions in the Grand Canary and lava querns of 

 Iron age type prove that the archipelago was visited 

 before its conquest by the Spaniards without affecting 

 the general civilisation of its inhabitants. — Major 

 E. R. Collins : Stone implements discovered in South 

 .\frica during the Boer war. The paper dealt mainly 

 with finds in or on the terrace-gravels, the principal 

 sites being Burghersdorp, in Cape Colony, Spytfon- 

 tein in the Orange Free State, and \'ereeniging. 

 Meyerton, Panfontein, Klerksdorp, and VIekfontein, 

 in the Transvaal. .\ few palaeoliths from undisturbed 

 South .\frican gravels have been recorded, but several 

 more were brought to light in digging shelter-trenches, 

 and certain finds on the surface confirm the view that 

 the earlv Cave-period of Europe is also represented 

 in South .Africa, quite apart from the supposed Bush- 

 man series. 



Geological Society, November 18. — Dr. A. Smith 

 Woodward, president, in the chair. — .A. Danlop : A 

 raised beach on the southern coast of Jersey. The 

 raised beach is on the eastern slope of the ridge 

 between Le Hocq and Pontac. The section, facing 

 northwards, shows the following succession of beds 

 from above downwards : — 



Thickness in feet iocbes 



(i) Earthy loam, with a layer of rubble ... 4 o 



(2) Stiff brownish-red clay ... ... ... i o 



(3) Yellow loamy clay, containing water- 



worn pebbles and angular fragments 3 4 



(4) Coarse brown sand 3 6 



(5) Water-worn pebbles, closely packed in 



a matrix of coarse brown sand ---4 6 



The rock beneath is fine red granite. The section is 

 i terminated at its western end by sloping rock. The 

 base of the section is about 50 ft. above mean sea- 

 level. The pebbles are of the red granite of the 

 i locality, but some are of diabase and of quartzite, as 

 well as a few of flint. Flint pebbles have also been 

 found in two low-level raised beaches, and flint-pebbles 

 and fragments have been noticed in the yellow clay. 

 .A raised beach was recently pointed out in the railway 



