Since the pu blication in the Transactions of this Society of Part II. of my Contributions to Indian Craniology, I have prepared for publication descriptions of additional series of skulls, both from India itself and from countries with which the Government of India has had diplomatic relations in recent years. From the Presidency of Madras I have obtained specimens of the Tamil-speaking Southern Dravidians, of Pariahs, and the skeleton of a Badaga. I have examined and described an interesting series of the skulls of the professional stranglers or Thugs. Some additional skulls of the Veddahs of Ceylon, with one of which the other bones of the skeleton had been preserved, have also been presented to the Anatomical Museum of the University. To former pupils attached as medical officers to the expeditions to Tibet and Seistan I am indebted for skulls from those countries. Thirty-nine specimens are described in this part, and their measurements are recorded in the tables.

An essential part of Pfaff's method of sloving an ordinary differential equation in 3m variables consists in obtaining what he calls his auxiliary equations.

While engaged in investigating the Tardigrada of the Scottish Lochs, I was desirous of comparing our Tardigrade Fauna with that of other parts of the world, and it occurred to me that the then recently returned Scottish Antarctic Expedition might furnish some suitable material. On applying to Mr R. N. Rudmose Brown, in the absence of Mr Bruce, I was courteously supplied with various samples of moss which I judged likely to contain Tardigrada.

On examining this moss it was found that Tardigrada were indeed numerous in it, and although not in very great variety, some of the forms were of considerable interest.

An investigation of the peat mosses in some districts of the Scottish Highlands was made in 1905, with a view of comparing the features found there with those already recorded from the Southern Uplands in 1904. The salient feature met with in the Southern districts was the existence in all the older mosses of an upper and lower forest-bed, with a zone of Arctic plants intercalated between. The existence of this Arctic plant bed, stretching at the same horizon through the peat in districts widely separated, indicates a lowering of temperature which must have obtained over much greater areas; for the conditions implied by the presence of an Arctic vegetation at low levels in the South of Scotland would suffice—precipitation being great enough—to produce glaciation in the Highlands.

In this communication some account is given of the various instruments used in the survey of the seiches of Loch Earn, of the methods of observing, and of the reduction of the results of observation.

In Part II., which immediately follows, Mr James Murray gives an account of the preliminary survey, of which he had charge. Later, a summary will be submitted to the Society of the results as regards the periods and nodes of the lake; and finally, an account will be rendered of the observations made in order to connect the occurrence of seiches with other atmospheric phenomena.

In a recent paper published by the authors, some measurements of the viscosity of aqueous solutions indicated that it would be of interest to investigate more fully the viscosity of solutions, especially those which exhibit what is now generally known as “negative viscosity,” over a wider range of temperature.

This has now been done to a certain extent, and to enable a comparison to be made between electrolytes and non-electrolytes in aqueous solution, some other substances have been included in the investigation. They are:—potassium chloride, potassium chlorate, ammonium iodide, potassium ferricyanide, potassium ferrocyanide; mercuric chloride, mercuric cyanide; carbamide.

My object in this paper is not, as the title might suggest, to give a comparative study of the fresh-water lochs of Scotland from the point of view of temperature. I had hoped at one time that this would be possible, and I may again return to this part of the subject of lake temperatures; but the more I have considered the question the more am I convinced that such a comparative study from the observations at my disposal would be based on assumptions too fundamental and too uncertain to make the conclusions reached of any great value. Consider the factors which go to produce variations of temperature as they are given by Professor Forel. Briefly, these are the indirect action of the sun in heating up the atmosphere and the surroundings of the loch, radiation from the loch, the effect of warm or cold water brought into the loch by rivers and by rain.

That mechanical vibrations affect magnetisation has long been known. The simple experiment of hammering an iron rod (Gilbert) in the earth's magnetic field needs only to be mentioned

About twenty years ago Ewing published investigations upon the effects of vibrations on magnetism. These have been summarised in his subsequent work, Magnetic Induction in Iron and other Metals. He states (§ 84, 3rd ed.) that the “influence of vibrations and mechanical disturbances generally” “may be succinctly described by saying that vibration lessens those differences of magnetic condition to which hysteresis gives rise. Thus, if we tap a piece of iron during the application and removal of a magnetising force, we find at each stage of the application that tapping increases the susceptibility, and at each stage of the removal it reduces the retentiveness.”

The collection of Hydroids hereafter described was made in the years 1902–4 by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition ship Scotia, during her cruises in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seas.

For the opportunity of examining the specimens I am indebted to Mr W. S. Bruce, the energetic leader of the expedition; and I also wish to thank Professor J. Arthur Thomson for much assistance and advice in the course of my work.

The collection, as here described, coutains 41 specimens, of which 33 are referable to 27 known species distributed among 15 genera, some of them being new varieties; while the remainder have required the establishment of 7 new species and 1 new genus. One specimen remains specifically undetermined. Thus there are in all 18 different genera, represented by 35 different species.