iv Transactions of the Boyal Society of South Africa. 
remarked the general resemblance of the rock from which thin slices had 
been cut to much of the Dwyka. He sketched the history of our know- 
ledge of the Dwyka Series, and noted that the existence of volcanic rocks 
south of the Zuurberg, along the line of strike of the Dwyka there, very 
probably gave rise to or at least strengthened the volcanic theory of the 
Dwyka in the minds of the pioneer geologists, as had been pointed out in 
a survey publication. Modern petrologists had given up the volcanic 
theory after personal experience of the rock both in the field and the 
laboratory, though, on the evidence of hand specimens and thin sections 
alone, some of them had at first favoured the theory. He could not 
recognise evidence of contemporaneous volcanic activity in the facts laid 
before the Society, nor could he recognise lapilli in the cellular structures, 
which he thought were of vegetable origin. He then gave an account of 
the persistent but fruitless endeavours on the part of the Consolidated 
Goldfields Company to obtain evidence of payable platinum in the district. 
Professor Young, in the course of a brief reply, said that his reference 
to the Dwyka Series being possibly in part of volcanic origin had been 
thrown out simply as a suggestion. It was impossible to believe that all 
the hundreds of samples sent by the Grahamstown people had been salted. 
Personally he believed that the only question on which some reasonable 
doubt might still be entertained was the economic one as to whether it 
would pay to extract the platinum. In answer to a question asked by 
Dr. Marloth, Professor Young said he had as yet seen no reason to believe 
that there was any native metallic platinum. He had not seen the 
slightest speck of metallic platinum in the district, and the platinum must 
occur there in some new minerals hitherto unknown to science. 
Ordinary Monthly Meeting. 
June 17, 1908. 
Mr. S. S. Hough, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 
Messrs. N. S. Pillans, S. Mendelssohn, E. J. O'Connor, G. French, 
and A. Lewis were elected members of the Society. 
Dr. Marloth exhibited a plant, probably a species of Bulbine, which 
possesses a tuber and a few very succulent leaves. The remarkable 
feature of these leaves is that they are embedded in the soil, and show 
only the somewhat convex apex. This apex is quite colourless and acts 
as a receiver for the light, which passes through the clear, transparent 
tissue and reaches the green tissue, which forms a thin layer only, from 
the inner side. The lower portion of the leaf is darker green than the 
upper one, although buried deeper in the soil. This is due to the fact 
