DECKMbEk 12, 1907] 



NA TURE 



H3 



Amphipoda : Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing. The species were 

 described as Lepcchinella cbrysotheras, representing a new 

 genus in the family ParamphithoidEE, and Rhachotropis 

 palporum in the family Eusirida;. — The preservation of 

 specimens in Australian museums : J. G. Otto Tepper. 

 The author pointed out that the life-cycle of Anthrenus 

 musaeorum involved visits to flowers, and that the presence 

 of their destructive larvse in museum collections was due 

 to the eggs being laid in proximity to the cases, and the 

 active and minute larvas subsequently finding their way 

 into the containing cases by cracUs or similar apertures. 



Mineralogical iiorictv, X.iv^inlirr 12— i'mf. M A. \\\-r<. 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Hopeite and other zinc 

 phosphates and associated minerals from Broken Hill 

 mines, north-western Rhodesia : L. J. Spencer (see 

 Xature, vol. Ixxvi., p. 215). Hopeite is abundant as 

 brilliant water-clear crystals or as larger white crystals 

 reaching 2 cm. across. The crystals are orthorhombic, 

 with 0:6: = 0-5786 : I : 04758. Cleavage flakes parallel 

 10 the brachypinacoid show a zonal intergrowth of two 

 substances, distinguished as a-hopeite and )3-hopeite ; these 

 differ considerably in their optical characters, and slightly 

 in sp. gr. (3-0-3-I) and the temperature at which water 

 is expelled. Associated with the hopeite crystals on the 

 bone-breceia are brown botryoidal masses of vanadinite. 

 The other zinc phosphates occur, not in the bone cave, but 

 with cellular limonite and crystals of descloizite and pyro- 

 morphite in connection with the zinc-lead ores (which 

 consist of an intimate mixture of cerussite and hemi- 

 morphite with interspersed limonite). The new species, 

 tarbuttite, occurs in great abundance, and is a basic zinc 

 phosphate, Zn,P,0,.'Zn(OH)., with sp. gr. 4-15; the 

 crystals are anorthic with ac = 55° 50', 06 = 84° 34'' 

 6c = 76° 31', c being a direction of perfect cleavage. 

 Pseudomorphs of tarbuttite after calamine (ZnCO.,), 

 descloizite, and hemimorphite are not uncommon, .'\nother 

 new species, nained parahopeite, has the same chemical 

 composition as hopeite, Zn,P,0,.4H„0, but is anorthic, 

 with sp. gr. 331. The platy crystals somewhat resemble 

 hemimorphite in appearance ; they have one perfect 

 cleavage, approximately perpendicular to the plates, 

 through which emerges one of the optic axes. — The ques- 

 tion of a relation between isomorphous miscibility and 

 parallel growths : T. V. Barker. A study of the growths 

 on each other of immiscible or slightly miscible pairs of 

 substances has shown that, although miscibility and 

 parallel growths are favoured by the same factor — 

 similarity of molecular volume — yet the two properties do 

 not always go hand in hand, for many immiscible or only 

 slightly miscible substances form parallel growths quite 

 readily. Mixed crystals, therefore, should not be regarded 

 as built up of alternating parallel layers. — Notes on 

 zeolites from Cornwall and Devon : A. Russell. The 

 occurrence of zeolites in various localities was described, 

 e.g. that of heulandite near Okehampton, stilbite at 

 Botallack and St. Ives, chabazite at Luxullian. .-ipophyllite 

 and analcite at Lostwithiel. — Note on the crystallisation of 

 potassium bichromate : Prof. H. A. Miers. Two stages 

 of growth of potassium bichromate crystallising from a 

 drop of solution were described and illustrated by lantern- 

 slides. — Various minerals from the Lengenbach quarry and 

 the Ofcnhorn, Binnenthal : R. H. Solly. Crystals of 

 binnitf, one of them .1 unique twin, and examples of the 

 regular intergrowth of sartorite and baumhauerite. were 

 described, and the occurrence of brookite and molybdenite 

 on the Ofenhorn was for the first time recorded. — Mr. 

 L. J. Spencer exhibited on behalf of Dr. H. J. John- 

 ston-Lavis some minute crystals of hematite found in 

 .association with chlormanganokalite in blocks ejected from 

 Vesuvius during the eruption of igo6. The crystals have 

 the form of acute scalenohedra fll^iJI = |245il . — A fine 

 series of zeolites from the neighbourhood of Belfast was 

 shown by Mr. F. N. A. Fleischmann ; a new meteoric 

 stone from Simondium. Cape Colony, by Dr. G. T. Prior ; 

 specimens of reconstructed ruby and blue spinel, and of 

 the new gem, benitoite, by Dr. G. F. Herbert Smith ; 

 and a specimen of artificial hematite by Mr. C. J. 

 Woodward. 



NO. 1989, VOL. yy] 



Royal Anthropological Ir.stitute, Nuv. mi>er 19— Mr 

 F. W. Rudler, past-president, in the chair. — Excavation of 

 a barrow at Chapel Carn Brea, Cornwall : H. C. King; 

 and B. C. Polking^horne. The barrow was opened in 

 .■August, and was found to contain a cist built of flat- 

 faced irregular stones with capstone. A very fine large 

 urn, ornamented witli the characteristic pattern, was 

 found, containing partly calcined bones. Flint flakes were 

 found, but these were of earlier date than the urn, and 

 were probably placed in the kist from traditional motives. 

 The barrow may have been surrounded by standing stones, 

 as one is still in position, .^bove the cist at the north 

 end another somewhat smaller urn was discovered. — Holed 

 stone at Kerrow, St. Just in Penwith, Cornwall : H. C. 

 King and B. C. Polkinghorne. This consists of a 

 circular slab of granite with a cylindrical hole In the 

 centre, very well worked, apparently by iron tools. Wood 

 charcoal was discovered underneath. Its purpose is un- 

 known. — Small cist and urn at Treglflfian Vean, St. Just 

 in Penwith : H. C. King and B. C. Polkinghorne. The 

 cist is a small one with a broken capstone. The urn. 

 which is also small, dates about 400 B.C. No bones or 

 ashes were found. — The wild tribes of the Ulu Plus, Malay 

 Peninsula : F. W. Knocker. The tribes dealt with 

 occupy the upper waters of the Plus River In Perak. 

 They are apparently of mixed Semang-Sakai character- 

 istics. The paper dealt with (heir habits of life, manners, 

 and customs. 



Chemical Society. NovemHfr 21. — Sir Willi mi R-msa'-, 

 K.C.B., F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Emulsions: S. 

 Pickering. Paraffin oil, when churned with solutions of 

 soap, glue, starch, albumen, &c., forms an emulsion, which 

 rises, like cream, to the surface of the excess of water, and 

 contains from 65 per cent, to 82 per cent, by volume of oil. 

 The percentage of oil can be increased to 99 per cent., the 

 emulsion then being practically solid. Emulsification 

 seems to depend on the separation from the liquid of very 

 minute solid particles, which are attracted by and surround 

 the oil globules, thus preventing them from coalescing. 

 .\nv precipitated substance which Is sufficiently finely 

 divided will act as an emulsifying agent, but, after be- 

 coming agglomerated by drying, it loses this property. 

 — .\roniatic azolmides, part Hi., the naphthylazoimides and 

 their nitro-derlvatives : M. O. Forster and H. E. Fierz. 

 — The triazo-group, part I., trlazoacetic arid and triazo- 

 acetone facetonylazoimide) : M. O. Forster and H. E. 

 Fierz. The Interesting properties displayed by (he trlazo- 



-CH.N;. 

 group when occurring in the complex I have led 



-CO 

 the authors to prepare the simplest typical compounds of 

 this class, trlazoacetic acid and triazoacetone. — Studies of 

 dvnamic Isomerism, part vii., note on the action of 

 carbonvl chloride as an agent foi^ arresting Isomeric 

 change: T. M. Lowry and E. H. Magson. Labile solu- 

 tions" of nitrocamphor. In which isomeric change has been 

 suspended, have been prepared (i) accidentally by dissolving 

 nitrocamphor in choloroform, and (2) deliberately by 

 adding acid to the solvent chloroform. In the latter case 

 the solutions acquired a powerful odour of carbonyl 

 chloride, and there can be no doubt that this is the efficient 

 agent in arresting Isomeric change in chloroform solutions. 

 By means of this new agent it is possible to arrest the 

 isomeric change of nitrocamphor In other solvents. — The 

 electrometric determination of the hydrolysis of salts : 

 H. G. Denham.— The Interaction of metallic sulphates 

 and caustic alkalis : S. Pickering. Alkalis, added to 

 solutions of various metallic sulphates, precipitate a definite 

 basic sulphate, except in the case of manganese and 

 maffnesium, where the hvdroxide Is precipitated. The 

 further addition of alkali converts the basic sulphate either 

 Into another, sometimes consecutively into two other, rnore 

 basic products (for example, copoer and nickel), or into 

 the hvdroxide. — The chemistry of Bordeaux mixture :^ S. 

 Pickering. The substances formed on the addition of lime 

 to copper sulphate, as in the preparation of Bordeaux mix- 

 ture, are dependent on the proportions of lime used, and 

 mav be either 



