568 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



" No Paternity," combating the theory recently put forward 

 by Spencer and Gillen and also by Malinowski that various 

 savage tribes (e.g. some tribes of Central Australia and some 

 Melanesians) do not understand the phenomena of paternity. 

 This paper will repay study, and Read, after arguing the 

 subject at length, ends with the following sentence : " I have 

 assumed throughout that (i) the natives and (2) the observers 

 are able to discriminate between what people believe and 

 what they are accustomed to say. In Europe this is impos- 

 sible." In addition to the contributions noticed above there 

 is a fourth and concluding article by H. Ling Roth on " Studies 

 in Primitive Looms," and Captain F. R. Barton has a paper 

 entitled " Tattooing in South-Eastern New Guinea." 



It is some years since the Journal of the Royal Anthropological 

 Institute has contained so many extraordinarily interesting 

 papers. 



In the recent numbers of Man, the articles are as usual 

 extremely brief. In the number published in August 191 8, 

 Captain E. G. Fenton publishes a rejoinder to Prof. Boyd 

 Dawkins' criticism of his former paper on the so-called Maltese 

 cart-ruts (see Science Progress, October 191 8, p. 239). 

 Captain Fenton contends once more that these really are cart- 

 ruts, and he urges the consideration that though they some- 

 times run straight they " much more often curve in every 

 direction possible." The September number of the same 

 magazine includes, among other contributions, an article by 

 Sir C. Hercules Read, " On a Carved Ivory Object from Benin 

 in the British Museum," and one on Central American Chron- 

 ology by R. C. E. Long entitled " The Maya and Christian 

 Eras." In the November number these supposed cart-ruts are 

 again discussed by Commander H. N. M. Hardy, who believes 

 that they are artificial and says that they are always found in 

 conjunction with Stone Age buildings. 



