REVIEWS 697 



if a line of stones points to where a certain star rose in a certain year, that it 



was in that year that they were set up ; but it is 'obvious that the fact that 



stones are now found in such a position does not prove that they were there 



at all when the star so rose — say between 1000 and 2000 B.C. Of course if a 



great number of lines point in the same direction it may reasonably be inferred 



that something was meant by it ; but Sir Norman Lockyer's dates vary from 



2330 B.C. at Tregaseal to 250 B.C. in Scotland for Arcturus, and he dates the 



stones at Shap and Boroughbridge as far back as 3000 and 4000 B.C. by 



a Centauri, without any other evidence. It has also been pointed, out that some 



of the stones on which he relies cannot be seen from the circle with which 



he connects them. He indeed seems to suggest intermediate signal-stations ; 



but why should there have been so much elaborate and unnecessary machinery ? 



The dolmens or cromlechs, which he thinks were used partly as dwellings for 



the priests and partly as observatories, he has found to be mostly oriented 



for the sunrise ; that they were so oriented is no doubt true, but it is a question 



whether that were not rather a matter of ritual than of astronomical use, for 



the number of dolmens in some places and of circles in others has been so 



great that they could not all have been required for observatories, or even 



for shrines or sanctuaries. In short, it seems not unlikely that Sir Norman 



Lockyer's facts may in many cases be explained in a different way from that 



which he suggests ; still, even if his work should not prove to be the universal 



key which he thinks it to be, it is certainly one which should be possessed by 



every student of this difficult but fascinating subject, and which cannot be 



neglected by any. 



A. L. Lewis. 



Introduction to the Preparation of Organic Compounds. By Emil Fischer. 

 Translated by R. V. STANFORD. [Pp. xix + 175.] (London : Williams & 

 Norgate, 1909. Price 4s. net.) 



A translation into English of a foreign book of laboratory procedure must be 

 judged both on its merits and by its applicability to the system of practical 

 instruction prevalent in this country. In this instance the mere fact that it is a 

 translation of the eighth German edition is sufficient testimony of the reception 

 which has been accorded to the book in Germany. Without, however, wishing to 

 detract in any way from the merits of the translation, in the writer's opinion it is 

 far more desirable for the English student to make use of the work in German 

 and so obtain that practice in the use of the language which is indispensable when 

 the original literature has to be consulted. 



The University Chemical Laboratory at Berlin, in which this preparation book 

 is used by all students, is in the happy position of being always crowded with 

 students eager to undertake the work of original investigation. Consequently, by 

 imposing stringent qualifying tests, the Professors are able to discriminate between 

 the various candidates on the ground of their practical ability, and so select those 

 best qualified to undertake researches under their guidance. It is an open secret 

 that many of the more difficult preparations described were introduced with this 

 object in view. 



Since the investigation of the proteins has acquired such importance in Berlin, 

 Fischer's laboratory has proved to be a great centre of attraction for medical men 

 and physiologists anxious to work in this field but generally untrained in chemical 

 manipulation. The preparations described in the second part of the book have 

 been written to give such students an insight into the methods of dealing with 



