THE DESIGN OF EVALUATION OF ASSAYS OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN A FOSSIL BONE*

The flame atomic absorption spectroscopy method of analysis of trace elements (Mn, Sr, and Cu) in a mammoth's bone and the method of estimation of the data using regression analysis are described. The concentration fields of the single elements in a cross-section through the bone are well described by a fourth degree polynomial. The minimum values and their coordinates have been determined. A method of determination of the original concentrations of trace elements in fossil bones is described further. The approximating features of the regression exponential equations and of the diffusion functions of various shapes were determined and a method for calculating the concentrations and diffusion properties of the bones once deposited in the soil is suggested. The original trace element concentration can be estimated by extrapolation of a suitable exponential or diffusion function.     

Immigration,Ancestry and Residence in Sydney

The paper examines the ancestry of Europeans in Sydney and that of the two largest non European groups. Spatial divergence occurs between the English, Scottish and Irish, and divergence from those of Australian ancestry. Residential persistence across generations occurs with persons of Greek, Italian, Maltese and Dutch origins, but not spatial segmentation. While there is greater language persistence in Greek and Italian second and third settlement concentrations, few third generation persons speak their ancestral language at home. The Chinese and Lebanese are compared with Greek and Italian ancestry in their areas of strongest representation. First generation Chinese are evident in areas of both low and high socioeconomic status, but without third generation language persistence. An evolving ethnic mix in Sydney is indicated.     

NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS OF AD 1660–1930 EUROPEAN COPPER-COLOURED BLUE GLASS TRADE BEADS FROM ONTARIO,CANADA

Blue glass trade beads from well-dated late seventeenth- to early twentieth-century sites and collections have been analysed non-destructively by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The beads display enough variations in their elemental contents to allow us to characterize the different chemistries. The implication of these results is that similar chemical analyses of blue beads from undated archaeological sites may be used to help date the sites, since each bead chemistry has a specific earliest period.     

Human and Natural Controls on the Accumulation,Acidification and Drainage of Pyritic Sediments: Pearl River Delta,China and Coastal New South Wales

There is increasing concern about environmental impacts of acidic drainage from acid sulphate soils on Holocene estuarine flood plains. Acidity derives from oxidation of iron pyrite in the sediments. Natural factors determine concentrations and distributions of pyrite accumulations, but human activities have reduced pyrite accumulation in the Pearl River Delta with land use practices increasing terrestrial sediment discharge. Large freshwater discharges and management techniques have enabled sustainable use of these soils. High concentrations of pyrite occur in many estuarine flood plains of Australia because of relatively greater marine inputs. Drainage of these soils enhances pyrite oxidation and estuarine acidification, which is associated with fish-kills. For sustainable development, the problems of acid sulphate soil drainage must be recognised and overcome.     

Book reviews

THE MIND OF EAST ASIA, Lily Abegg. (338 pp. with Index). Translated from the German. Thames and Hudson; London, New York.

BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES: Problems in Co‐operation. A joint report prepared by Henry L. Roberts and Paul A. Wilson. London. Royal Institute of International Affairs. Pp. 224. Price 8/6 sterling. 1953.

D?R LAUTLOSE AUFSTAND. BERICHT VEBER DIE WIDER‐STANDSBEWEGUNG DES DEUTSCHEN VOLKES 1933–1945. Herausgegeben von Guenther Weissenborn. Rowohlt Verlag Hamburg. Pp. 348.

“EASTERN AND WESTERN WORLD”: Selected Readings with a foreword by S. Hofstra. Issued under the auspices of the Netherlands Foundation for International Co‐operation and published by W. Van Hoeve Ltd., The Hague, Bandung. 1953. Pp. 181.

NATIONALISM AND SOCIAL COMMUNICATION. By Karl W. Deutsch. John Wiley & Sons, N. Y. viii and 292.

BURMA UNDER THE JAPANESE: By Thakin Nu. Pictures and Portraits, Edited and translated with Introduction by J. S. Furnivall. Macmillan, London. 1954. Pp. xxviii and 132. Price 12s 6d.

COMMODITY TRADE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT—Report of a Committee appointed by the Secretary‐General, United Nations, Published by the United Nations, 1953.