68o SCIENCE PROGRESS 



various forms of animal life by which he is surrounded. Furthermore, he will 

 early learn to appreciate the fattening value of the trees, plants, and grasses 

 devoured by his flocks and herds, and likewise those of little or no value or of a 

 poisonous nature. 



The total lack of appreciation of beauty in nature, I fancy, is common to 

 all the African races. Another peculiarity found in most native races is their 

 inability to distinguish between a pleasant and a disagreeable odour. 



Captain Buchanan is to be congratulated on the additions he has made to 

 our knowledge of the fauna of Africa. The extent and value of his collections 

 alone, in a country where animal life is so scanty, are a fair index to the hard- 

 ships he underwent, his keenness and the toughness of his constitution. 



R. E. Drake-Brockman. 



A History of the Whale Fisheries. By J. T. Jenkins, D.Sc, Ph.D. [Pp. 336. 

 with 12 plates.] (London : H. F. & G. Witherby, 192 1. Price 185. net.) 

 This is the third book, by the same author, which the present reviewer has 

 had the pleasure of reviewing in these pages ; it is also the best. The book is 

 divided into eight chapters, as follows : " Whales and their Classification "; 

 " The Economics of Whaling "; " The Early History of Whaling " (to 1623) ; 

 " The Dutch Whalers Predominant " (1623-1750) ; " The Bounty System "; 

 "The Southern Fishery"; "The American Whale Fisheries," and "The 

 Last Phase of Whaling," followed by a copious bibliography, seven appendices, 

 and an index. It is also liberally annotated with many footnotes, and there 

 are twelve excellent plates. 



Originally whales were hunted for their oil (train oil) . The word has noth- 

 ing to do with railways, but is derived from the Dutch " traan," a tear, i.e. a 

 drop. But early in the nineteenth century it was gradually displaced by other 

 illuminants, and the discovery of petroleum in 185Q sealed its fate as a means 

 of lighting. A superior kind of oil was derived from the Sperm Whale, as also 

 was spermaceti and ambergris, which latter is worth its weight in gold. 

 " Whalebone" was at one time the most important product of the fishery. 

 Certain species of whales carry some 300 plates of this material, which hang 

 from the upper jaw, acting as a strainer in detaining its food, their length being 

 from 10 to 12 feet in the Greenland Whale. Most of the whalebone goes to 

 Paris, where it is used for stiffening silk fabrics. The oil is used for soap- 

 making, the lower grades chiefly for the manufacture of lubricants, and 

 during the War large quantities were used in the manufacture of glycerine 

 for the making of explosives. 



The meat of most species, when fresh, can be eaten, and some is canned for 

 sale as human food ; in fact, in a modern factory, practically everything is 

 used except the "spout" — to borrow a well-known Chicago aphorism. The 

 author humorously suggests that, had Mark Twain seen a whale that had been 

 dead for a few days,he would have compared the smell of it to Limburger cheese. 



In the historical sections, students will find much rare and interesting data 

 with which to amplify their notes. One learns that the privateering of the 

 Alabama embraced whalers. But one would like to have heard something more 

 about the Mayflower and its connection with the whale fisheries. One also 

 learns that there was a whale bounty system, on the lines of the better-known 

 herringbounty — certainly the terms "blubber" and "bounty" are euphonious! 



The early methods of whaling were brutal, but with the invention of the 

 harpoon gun in i860, improved later, modern methods with instruments of 

 precision are much more expeditious and, shall we say, humane ? 



But the deadly perfection of the instruments now employed will practically 

 exterminate some of the species pursued unless legislation such as outlined 

 by the author is adopted. 



We learn from the Press that the writer has granted permission for the book 

 to be translated into the French language. A. W. 



