540 



NA TURE 



[October 28, 1909 



Manchester. 



Institute of Metals, Uciuber 14. — Sir William Wliite, 

 K.C.B., F.R.S., president, in the chair. — The constitution 

 and properties of the ternary alloys aluminium-copper-tin : 

 J. H. Andrew and C. A. Edwards. The authors re- 

 corded an interesting series of conclusions of both a prac- 

 tical and theoretical character, based on a prolonged 

 research which had necessitated the preparation and test- 

 ing of many hundreds of alloys. — The surface appearance 

 of solders : C. O. Bannister and H. J. Tabor. Results 

 were given of experiments carried out with a view to 

 obtain exact information as to the effect of small quanti- 

 ties of impurities on the surface appearance of solders, the 

 impurities added to ordinary tinman's solder (50 per cent, 

 tin and 50 per cent, lead) being antimony, copper, silver, 

 and zinc. — Some causes of the corrosion of copper and 

 brass : E. L. Rhead. The author dealt particularly with 

 the corrosion of condenser tubes. Samples of hard copper 

 and brass were submitted to corrosion in various saline 

 solutions, some of which were saturated with CO,. Strips 

 of hard brass were softened at one end and bent into 

 U-shape. It was found that there was a much greater 

 tendency for the hard material to corrode, the corrosion 

 occurring in lines parallel to the direction of rolling. The 

 surface of the hard metal was made very rough and 

 irregular, whilst that of the soft metal remained quite 

 smooth, when both were immersed in saline solutions. 



October 15.— Sir William White, K.C.B., F.R.S., presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — The copper-zinc alloys : a study of 

 volume changes during solidification : Prof. T. Turner and 

 M. T. Murray. The authors held that their experiments 

 were likely to have an important theoretical as well as 

 practical bearing, and it was believed that expansometer 

 tests would be largely used in future as an aid to the deter- 

 mination of the constitution of alloys. — The elastic break- 

 down of non-ferrous metals : Prof. C. A. Smith. The 

 author gave the result of researches conducted by means 

 of his instrument, the sphingometcr, which showed that, so 

 far as the elastic properties of the material were concerned, 

 mild steel was very much more trustworthy than any non- 

 ferrous metal. The sphingometer was described, and shown 

 to be capable of measuring extensions of length of the 

 astonishingly small amount of a quarter of a millionth part 

 of an inch. — Notes of the production of pure spelter : 

 J. S. Primrose. A review of the commercial position of 

 zinc and the existing methods of refining the metal, the 

 author also discussing the theory of the new process of 

 fume filtration purification during distillation. — The 

 technical assay of zinc : H. W. Greenwood and Dr. E. J. 

 Brislee. The paper described work undertaken with a 

 view to determine the relative value and accuracy of the 

 various analytical methods for the determination of zinc, 

 and also the gathering together of the more important 

 references to the analytical chemistry of zinc in both 

 British and foreign literature. The authors reviewed briefly 

 the more important processes, volumetric, gravimetric, and 

 electrolytic, for the estimation of zinc. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, October 28. 

 Society of Dyers and Colourists, at 8.— Some Unsolved Dyeing Prob- 

 lems : Dr. E. Feilmann. 



FRIDAY, October 29. 

 Institution OF Mechanical Engineers, at 8.— Prof. W. E. Dalby's 

 Report on Heat Transmission {Resumed Discussion). 



MONDAY, November i. 



Society of Chemical Industry, at 8.— Technical Gas Calorimetry ; 

 J. H. Coste. — On Naphthalene Picrate and the Quanticalive Determi- 

 nation of Naphthalene: W. P. Jotissen and J. Rutten. — Some Notes 

 upon the Manufacture of Large Blocks of Artificial Stone from Sand 

 and Lime : J. C. Stead. 



Aristotelian Society, at- 8. — Presidential Address: Sensations and 

 Images : Dr. S. Alexander. 



TUESDAY, November 2. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— Address by the President, 



J. C. Inglis. 



WEDNESDAY, November 3. 

 Society of Public Analysts, at 8. — Note on the Detection and Estimation 



of Small Quantities of Antimony : Dr. P. Schidrowitz and H. A. 



Goldsbrough. — The Phosphates in Certain Vinegars, and in ihe Materials 



used in their Manufacture : T. Fairley. — (Jn the Determination of 



Essential Oils in Spices and Aromatic Drugs: R. A. Cripps and J. A. 



Brown.— Note on Holde's Test, and the Detection of Paraffin Wax in Lard 



and other Fats : H. Dunlop. 



NO. 2087, VOL. 81] 



Geological Society, at 8. — (i) Certain Jurassic (Lias Oolite) Strata of 

 South Dorset, and their Correlation : (2) Certain Jurassic (Inferior Oolite) 

 Species of Ammonites and Brachiopoda : S. .S Kuckman. — (i) *1 he 

 Cretaceous and Eocene Strata of Egypt ; (2) The Granite Ridges of 

 Kharga Oasis: Intrusive or Tectonic? Dr. W. F. Hume. 



Entomological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, November 4. 



Royal Society, at d.30. — Probable Papers: (1) The Development of 

 Prypanosojiia Ga»tbiense in Glass fia palpalis \ (2) A Note on the 

 Occurrence of a Trypanosome in the African Elephant : Colonel Sir 

 David Bruce, C.B., l-'.R.S., Captains A. E. Hamerton and H. R. 

 Batcman. R.AM.t."., and Captain F. P. Mackie, I. M.S. -On the 

 Perception of the Direction 01 Sound: The Lord Rayleigh, O.M., 

 F.R.'-.— The Diffraction of Electric Waves: Prof H. M. Macdonald, 

 K. K.S.— On the Mechanism of the Absorption Spectra of Salutions : 

 Robert Houstoun. — (i ) Note on the Spontaneous Luminosity of a 

 Uranium Mineral. (2) The Accumulation of Helium in Geological 

 Time: Hon R. J. Strutt, F.R.S.— On the Physical Properties of 

 Gold Leaf at High Temperatures ; J. C. Chapman and H. L. Porter — 

 The Dimensions and Function of the Martian Canals': Dr. H. C. 

 Pocklington, F.R.S. 



Linnean Society, at 8. — Some Account of the Field-botany of Namaqua- 

 land, Damaraland, and South Angola : Prof H. H. W. Pearson. 



Rontgen Society, at 8.15. — Presidential Address; C. E. S. Phillips. 

 \FKIDAY, November 5. 



Royal Anthropological Institute, 318.30, — Huxley Memorial Lecture. 

 The North European Race : Prof G. Retzius. 



CONTENTS. PAGu 



The Cleavage of the Ovum 511 



A Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Directory . . 511 

 A Monument to Latimer Clark. By Prof. C. V. Boys, 



F.R.S 512 



Comparative Anatomy of Animals 513 



Modern Miracles. By R. T. H 513 



Semitic Magic 514 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Mill : " British Rainfall," 190S 514 



Benoit and Gtiillaume : '* La Mesure rapide des Bases 



gr^odesiques." — E. H. H 515 



" Bibliotheca Geographica " 515 



Ladner : "The Invicta Number Scheme" 515 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Magnetic Storms. — Dr. W. van Bemmelen .... 516 

 Homogeneous Corpuscular Radiation. — Charles A. 



Sadler 516 



Drought in South-west Ireland. — Dr. Hugh Robert 



Mill 517 



Derivation of the Word "Theodolite." {With 



Diagram.) E. H. V. Melvill 517 



A Supposed New Mineral. — Richard J. Moss and 



Henry J. Seymour . 51S 



The Pitcairn Islanders. — C. B. Williams 518 



The Auroral Display of October 18. — Ernest J. Baty ; 



W. Austin Morley 518 



The Occurrence in India of the Pappataci ¥\y(Pklff>o- 



tonnis papa/asii).—T>T. N. Annandale .... 51S 

 The Mansfield Automatic Water-finder.— Prof. J. 



Wertheimer 518 



To Determine the Refractiv.ty of Gases available 

 only in Minute Quantities. By Lord Rayleigh, 



O.M., F.R.S 519 



Gay-Lussac's Law — Its Centenary. By Dr. A. N. 



Meldrum 519 



Anemographic Observations in India - 521 



Rock Paintings of the Lower Ebro 522 



Prof. Hugh Blackburn. By W. J 522 



Notes 523 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Halley's Comet 52S 



(^•uantilative Measures of the Oxygen Bands in the 



Spectrum of Mars 529 



Stars having Peculiar Spectra : New Variable Stars . 529 



The Natal Government Observatory 529 



First Magnetic Results obtained on the " Carnegie " 

 in the North Atlantic. (Il/iislralcd.) By Dr. L. A. 



Bauer and W. J. Peters 529 



The Analysis of Sounds used in Speech. By Edwin 



Edser 533 



Heat Transmission 533 



The Antiquity of Man in South America. By 



G. A. J, C 534 



Agriculture at the British Association 535 



Botany at the British Association 537 



University and Educational Intelligence 538 



Societies and Academies S39 



Diary of Societies 540 



