A meeting of the Society was held in the rooms of the Royal Society of Arts, Adelphi, London, on Thursday, February 15th, 1923, Professor L. Bairstow presiding. The Chairman, referring to the paper to be read, namely, on “ The Practical Aspect of Seaplanes,” by Wing Commander T. R. Cave-Browne-Cave, C.B.E., said that this was the third of the series of lectures on seaplanes, a series which came into being mainly at the instigation of Wing Commander Cave-Browne-Cave. The lecturer was a member of the Council of the Society, and had thought that it woqld be advisable to have a connected series of papers of this description ; it could be said that the policy adopted had been successful and would be rounded off by that evening’s lecture. The author, in the beginning of the paper, explained what his position was, and that the paper represented other views in addition to his own, so that he (the Chairman) did not propose to enter into that subject, but he asked those present to note, when the paper was read, how the whole cause of seaplane development cried out loudly for further experiment. The conclusions in the paper were more definite than those they usually associated with pilots’ opinions on the flying of aircraft, but that they were generally sound he himself had some reason to know. On the other hand, it was quite clear from the paper that the author had not been able to put into numerical form many things which he knew were true in a general way. He then called upon the author to read his paper.

The manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci, of which a complete English translation is here offered (so far as the writer is aware, for the first time), is known as the “ Codice sul Volo degli Uccelli e Varie Altre Materie ” (Codex on the flight of birds and other matters). It is a small note-book of some 30 pages, and measures- about 8.4 inches by 6 inches. It was written at Florence in the year 1505, between March 14th* and April 15th. t A close'study cf this manuscript has been made by G. Piumati} in a very fine edition containing an excellent facsimile of the original note-book, together with (a) a printed copy folio by folio of the old Italian script in which it was written, (b) a rendering into modern Italian, and (c) a French translation by C. Ravaisson-Mollien.

The manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci, of which a complete English translation is here offered (so far as the writer is aware, for the first time), is known as the " Codice sul Volo degli Uccelli e Varie Altre Materie " (Codex on the flight of birds and other matters). It is a small note-book of some 30 pages, and measures about 8.4 inches by 6 inches. It was written at Florence in the year 1505, between March 14th* and April 15th. f A close study of this manuscript has been made by G. Piumati+ in a very fine edition containing an excellent facsimile of the original note-book, together with (a) a printed copy folio by folio of the old „ Italian script in which it was written, (b) a rendering into modern Italian, and (c) a French translation by C. Ravaisson-Mollien.