50 SCIENCE PROGRESS I 



ANTHROPOLOGY. By A. G. Thacker, A.R.C.Sc. 

 The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute for the 

 second half of 191 5 (Vol. xlv), the publication of which was 

 somewhat delayed, contains two interesting and important 

 articles dealing with the Bantu race. One of these is by the 

 Hon. Charles Dundas, and is entitled " The Organisation and 

 Laws of some Bantu Tribes in East Africa," and the other, by 

 Miss A. Werner, is called " The Bantu Coast Tribes of the East 

 Africa Protectorate." C. E. Fox and F. H. Drew contribute 

 to this number of the Journal the second section of their article 

 on " Beliefs and Tales of San Cristoval (Solomon Islands)," 

 the first part having appeared in the preceding number of the 

 Journal. Dr. W. H. R. Rivers writes a short but ingenious and 

 interesting article on " Descent and Ceremonial in Ambrim." 

 The island of Ambrim is one of the New Hebrides group. This 

 contribution deals with the difficult subject of mother-right and 

 father-right. It is held by some writers that matrilineal 

 descent is always and everywhere an earlier form of society than 

 patrilineal descent, but this idea is condemned by Dr. Rivers. 

 In Ambrim, however, it is the case that mother-right preceded 

 father-right, and the same is probably true of some other parts 

 of Melanesia. Society in Ambrim is now organised on a patri- 

 lineal scheme, but from a study of ceremonial in the island 

 Dr. Rivers concludes that traces of an earlier matrilineal con- 

 dition may still be detected. 



Miss Margaret Murray deals with a cognate subject in a 

 paper headed " Royal Marriages and Matrilineal Descent," 

 and in the same number of the Journal an article by E. Grant 

 Brown, dealing with " The Taungbyon Festival, Burma," 

 will be found. 



In the last two numbers of this Review I have described 

 some of Prof. Elliot Smith's contributions to the study of the 

 origin and spread of early cultures. A criticism of some of 

 Prof. Elliot Smith's views is contained in an article by Harold 

 Peake entitled " The Origin of the Dolmen," which will be 

 found in Man for August 191 6. The recent numbers of Man 

 contain articles which are less brief than is usual in that maga- 

 zine, this being a change which appears to me to be an improve- 

 ment. The following articles may be mentioned : " Kava- 

 drinking in New Guinea," by A. C. Haddon, in October ; " The 

 Flaking of Sub-Crag Flints," by J. Reid Moir, also in October; 



