Abstract
MANCHESTER. Literary and Philosophical Society, December 10, 1912.—Prof. F. E. Weiss, president, in the chair.—T. A. Coward exhibited a fossil, barrel-shaped pith of a cycadean stem with small portions of the surrounding wood, with superficial markings due to the medullary rays, from a brickfield near Timperley.—T. A. Coward: Coloured photograph of a specimen of the Baikal or Formosan teal, Anas farmosa, shot at Wirral a short time ago.—A. Holt and J. E. Myers: The constitution of the phosphoric acids and some of their alkali salts. There appear to be but two varieties of metaphosphoric acid and two corresponding series of salts. These salts are derived from mono-and tri-metaphosphoric acids. The tri-acid is vitreous; the mono-acid can only be obtained in solution. The monometaphosphates of the alkalies are readily soluble in water, and are prepared either by neutralising the mono-acid or by devitrifying the glass obtained by the action of heat on microcosmic salt. This is in direct contradiction to the customary statements of text-books. The more complex metaphosphates are probably double salts.—Miss P. C. Esdaile: The scientific results of the salmon scale research at Manchester University. The results obtained by an examination of scales from nearly 1700 fish from the Wye indicate some relation between the length of time spent in the river and in the sea. In the majority of cases, when the young fish has stayed for a considerable time in the river it has remained for a comparatively short while in the sea, and vice versâ. Grilse and small spring fish with a comparatively short sea-life are longer for their weight than large summer or large spring fish, and also show much more variation. Only seventy-eight of the fish had spawning marks on their scales. It was observed that fish which one year spawned as spring fish may spawn again as summer fish, and vice versâ. The results indicate that the scales do not provide any evidence to support the belief that spring1 and summer salmon represent two distinct races.—Dr. J. R. Ashworth: Note on the mean magnetic moment and energy of a vibrating magnet. By a mathematical investigation the author showed that the behaviour of a magnet making oscillations of large amplitude in a uniform field resembles that of a diamagnetic substance. When, however, it oscillates under the influence of a similar neighbouring magnet its behaviour has a resemblance to that of a ferromagnetic substance under the influence of heat, and the phenomenon of recalescence could in some degree be imitated under like conditions.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 90, 533 (1913). https://doi.org/10.1038/090533a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/090533a0