70 
NATROL 
[MakcH 21, 1912 
Sella in 1858. From the same locality were shown 
also bipyramids twinned on &(1122), in which, too, 
the prism is absent, and there is no flattening perpen- 
dicular to the twinning plane, as in the Dauphiné 
and Japanese specimens.—T. V. Barker: Note on the 
optical properties of mercuric iodide. Preliminary 
determinations by means of two 30° prisms gave 2-746 
and 2-447 as the values of the ordinary and extra- 
ordinary refractive indices for sodium, and 2-566 and 
2357 for lithium light, respectively, the degree of 
accuracy being about 0-002. More accurate values are 
anticipated when better prisms have been prepared, 
but the results so far obtained suffice to show that the 
double refraction and colour dispersion are remarkably 
large in amount.—Arthur Russell; Notes on _ the 
minerals and mineral-localities of Shropshire. The 
occurrences of thirty-two species, excluding roclk-form- 
ing minerals, were described. Calcite was obtained at 
Snailbeach Mine, Minsterley, in splendid crystals of 
varied habit, among others being large, pale mauve 
rhombohedra twinned on c(111), and opaque, white, 
prismatic crystals twinned on r(100). Very large 
crystals of barytes and fine erystals of calcite came 
from Wotherton Mine, Chirbury. The occurrence of 
pyromorphite and witherite at several localities was 
noted.—Dr. Emil Hatschek ; A series of specimens and 
lantern-slides illustrative of some reactions in gels. 
An inorganic gel (silicic acid) was used, and the com- 
pounds resulting from the diffusion in it of several 
solutions were shown; there was a tendency to band- 
ing in the upper part of the precipitate, while spheru- 
litie growths appeared in nearly every case.—W. 
Campbell Smith: A spherulitic dolerite from Vryheid, 
Natal. The rock was interesting on account of the 
size and beauty of the spherulites, which are revealed 
on the weathered surfaces. 
Royal Anthropological Institute, March 19.—Mr. 
Alfred P. Maudslay, president, in the chair.—Dr. 
C. S. Myers: Primitive music. The chief objects and 
methods of studying the music of primitive peoples 
were described, illustrated by examples from Borneo 
(Sarawak), Torres Straits (Murray Islanders), and 
Ceylon (Veddas). The music of the Murray Islanders 
and of the Todas was analysed to show (1) the wide 
difference even between such very simple forms of 
music belonging to two distant peoples; (2) the 
different lines of musical development traceable within 
different communities; (3) the great importance, alilxe 
for ethnology and for musical history, of studying the 
process of diffusion of the various styles of music and 
also of musical instruments, in regard to their form, 
their intervals, and their absolute pitch. 
EDINBURGH. 
Royal Society, February 19.—Prof. Ewart, F.R.S., 
vice-president, in the chair.—Dr. Thomas Scott: The 
Entomostraca of the Scottish National Antarctic Ex- 
pedition. The collection consisted chiefly of Cope- 
poda, of which there were 145 species, three parasitic, 
the rest free-living. Sixty-two species, including one 
new variety, belonged to the suborder Calanoida. 
The WHarpacticoida were represented by forty-one 
species, twenty-eight being new, with two new 
genera, almost all taken in or near Scotia Bay, South 
Orkneys. There were twenty-seven species (three 
new and one new variety) of Cyclopoida, and one 
species of Caligoida. The Cladocera in the collection 
were represented by two species of Evadne. There 
were twenty-two species of Ostracoda, of which four- 
teen (ten new) were collected in Scotia Bay.—Dr. 
W. E. Hoyle: The Cephalopoda of the Scottish 
National Antarctic Expedition. Six species were 
taken off South Africa, four (one new) off South 
NO. 2272, VOL. 890] 
America, and four were Antarctic, being obtained 
near Scotia Bay. The mew species of Polypus, 
P. Brucei, was represented by a single male speci- 
men from the Burdwood Banks, off Tierra del Fuego. 
Male and female specimens of Moschites charcoti, 
examples of which have been only once previously 
recorded, were talken in Scotia Bay.—Prof. W. A. 
Herdman; The Tunicata of the Scottish National 
Antarctic Expedition. The collection was a large one, 
characterised by the abundance and large size of 
individuals, by the excellent preservation of the speci- 
mens, and by morphological variations. Of the 
Ascidiaceze (simple and compound), there were sixteen 
different species (one new) in six families of six 
genera, mostly obtained from the Falkland and South 
Orkney Islands. The new species, Fungulus antarc- 
ticus, was a deep-sea form obtained in lat. 64° S. at 
a depth of 2485 fathoms. The rare genus Fungulus is 
represented by only another solitary specimen, F. 
cinereus, Herdman, got by the Challenger at 1600 
fathoms’ depth in lat. 46° S. between the Cape of 
Good Hope and Kerguelen Island, at least 3000 miles 
distant from where the new species was found.— 
Prof. Andrew Gray: General dynamics. Note I. : 
Hamilton’s partial differential equations and the deter- 
mination of their complete integrals. The partial 
differential equations were deduced directly from the 
canonical equations, and important use was made of 
the second partial differential equation which is satis- 
fied by the function S’, a function which has been 
comparatively little used. Some interesting relations 
between the functions S and S’ were established, and 
were utilised in  applications.—Prof. Sutherland 
Simpson: An investigation into the effects of seasonal 
changes on body temperature. The experiments were 
made with 114 domestic fowls, six different breeds 
being represented. In a general way the body 
temperature followed that of the external air, being 
lowest in the winter months and highest in the 
summer months. The barometric pressure had no 
influence. The curve of egg-production reached its 
highest level in April and May; and in general it was 
found that cyclical body changes had little or no 
effect on body temperature as compared with outside 
influences. 
MANCHESTER. 
Literary and Philosophical Society, February 20.— 
Prof. F. E. Weiss, president, in the chair.—Prof. W. H. 
Lang, F.R.S.: Branchine in the Ophioslossacez. 
| The branching in Helminthostachys was shown to be 
related to the vestigial buds discovered by Gwynne- 
Vaughan. The vascular supply to the branch was 
connected with the stele of the rhizome, and not with 
the subtending leaf-trace. Vestigial buds are also 
constantly present in the axils of the leaves of 
Botrychium lunaria, and may have a_ vestigial 
vascular supply derived from the margins of the: sub- 
tending leaf-trace. When a branch develops. its 
vascular supply is from the leaf-trace, and not from 
the stele of the stem. The branches that occur 
occasionally in Helminthostachys and Botrychium are 
not ‘‘ adventitious.’ but originate from these dermant 
axillary buds. They are comparable with the 
branches of the Hymenonhyllacee and Zyeovteridee, 
and their structure strengthens the probabilitv of a 
relationship between the Onvhioglossaceze ard the 
latter. gcroun.—T. G. B. Osborn: Recent investiga- 
tions into the nature of the moulds which attack ex- 
ported cotton goods. Several common fungi and 
bacteria were found infectins the goods. 
March <.—Prof. F. E. Weiss. president. in the 
chair.—R, L. 
of dilute acids on bleaching powder. 
Taylor and Clifford Bostock : The action 
In these in- 
