May 1 8, 191 1] 



NATURE 



;83 



iind Australia. This will never be accomplished until 

 we thoroughly understand the influence of the Ant- 

 arctic Continent. Its investigation would alone be a 

 tV: subject for an imperial conference. It is a problem 

 which should no longer be nibbled at, but made the 

 object of svstematic attack. 



If we turn from the physical to the biological field 

 the need of cooperative endeavour is no less insistent. 

 The problems of geographical distribution are 

 hampered for want of material from large, uninvesti- 

 gated areas. In anthropology our knowledge is still 

 fragnvntarv, cxt n of the subject races of the Empire. 

 ComiiH'icf alTdrcis a wide area for tlie distribution of 

 their local (iiviMvc^. Cases of sleeping sickness are 

 to be seen in <uir hospitals, and beri-beri has sometimes 

 produced a panic in our ports. Yet the campaign 

 against tropical disea^e has only begun. 



If it is objected that such schemes are visionarv, it 

 ma\' ])(' rcpliid tliar iialf a century ago thc\' \\err 

 aciuallv within the field of practical politic^, and that:, 

 too, at a timt- when anything like Imperialism was 

 certainly not in fashion. In 1X59 the Duke of New- 

 castle, the Secretary of Sratc for the Colonies, wrote 

 officiallv that "'her Majesty's Government have under 

 their consideration a project for collecting the mate- 

 rials of a National Work on the Astronomical features, 

 the terrestrial phvsics, the botanv, zoologv, and 

 geologv of the Colonial Possessions of the Rriti-^h 

 Kmi)in'.'" All this remained a project except as re- 

 gards l)oi;inv, whicli w.as imposed on Kew. The 

 task, with various fortunes, sometimes of neglect and 

 discouragement, has occupied it steadilv ever since. 

 With the com|)letion, now in sight, of the two great 

 h'loras of Africa, under tlie editorship of .Sir W. Thisel- 

 K.n-DviT, the \-a>t iindertalving will have been prac- 

 Ticalh ;iccomplislic(l. It is to be noted that ('\crj)t in 

 ilic ( ;t>e of tropical Africa, the expense has been borne 

 1)\ ilic Dominions and Colonies concerned. And to 

 the I-'lora of South Africa a spontaneous and not the 

 Ir.isi liV>eral contributor has been the Transvaal 

 riovc-rnment. 



'I'lic infcrciii'r tli.il nia\' be drawn from such facts 

 is tli.it while ilie lni|)erial ( iivvernnien t could nrolt.abh' 

 K( induced to aid wejl-ronsidered scientific work in the 

 < rown ("olonies ;incl Proteclorales, funds would b(^ 

 fi'iilicoming for llie share of that of the Dominions. 

 ( 'oo|ief;ition woidd gi\'e t]i(>m a \"oice in the scoiie and 

 eliar.-icier of an\ schi me, and a guarantee of its elll- 

 eieiii ;ni(l erononiie.il execiilion. 



Such a skeieli nt wli.ii imperial coopei'ation might 

 do for knowledge oi liw l.''1oIic on whi(-li we li\-e lias 

 at an\' rafe the charm of a |)le;isant dream. \\\]\ it 

 e\er be realised? Not ;is long, certainh', as a Prime 

 Mini-ier ean (]i--cribe our < 'io\etaimenl as '"ihi- 

 u)-L;aiii-e(| p.iwei- of Philistines." The Pliilisiipe h.is 

 tile ( io\-<-rnmenl he (]esei-\es, and Philistine he will 

 i-eniain iinlil the schoohn;is(e|- is lonelied with idealisni 

 and tile aim ot life r^'ascs to be pureh" materialistic. 

 Men mav le.arn that tliongji the pursuit of weahli 

 ma^■ l)e eNciiiuL' '■■ '' 'ininent is dull in its resuhs 

 and lisualK' niisi n its effects. Ambition nia\' 



prompt the rich ■ wni-lhier monument liehind 



them than the n .! of ilieic death dniie-,. The 



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A ITf/vML HISTORY OF THE BIBLE. 



'l^'HE celel>ration of the tercentenary of the English 

 -*■ authorised version of the Bible is an event of 

 national importance, when everything connected with 

 Holy Writ commands, if possible, more than ordinary 

 interest, not only from Biblical scholars, but also from 

 a large section of the general public. Among the 

 numerous sections of the subject, that which most 

 commends itself to students of natural science is, of 

 course, the natural history of the Bible in the wider 

 sense of that term — that is to say, inclusive of 

 zoology, botany, and mineralogy; and the present 

 celebration affords a fit opportunity of reviewing and 

 revising our knowledge of Bible animals, i)lants, 

 and minerals, and also of considering whether any 

 emendations of the names by which some of them 

 are referred to in the authorised version ought not 

 to be amended. This has been recognised by the 

 authorities of the British Museum, who are now 

 arranging in the Iiall of the Natural History Branch 

 at South Kensington an exhibition of Bible animals, 

 plants, and minerals, which will be opened in due 

 course, and will doubtless attract a large amount of 

 attention and interest on the part of the public. 



Although comparatively little interest and import- 

 ance attaches to the list of species regarded by the 

 ancient Jews as imclean, the correct identification of 

 the animals and plants referred to in other parts of 

 the Bible is in many cases essential to a proper appre- 

 ciation of the context, more especially when they are in- 

 troduced to illustrate a simile, or to accentuate some 

 striking or picturesque feature in local conditions. 

 At the time when the authorised vcrsit)n was written 

 natural history had scarcely attained the position of 

 a science, even the birth of Linnaeus not having 

 taken place until nearly a century after the trans- 

 lators had finished their Labours. But this lack of 

 knowledge of natural history common to all educated 

 persons of that day was by no means the only difll- 

 culty with whicli the translators had to contend. 

 J^or, in the first place, the animals and jilants of 

 Svria and Palestine were probalily e-ven less known 

 than those of several other parts of the w-orld ; while, 

 secondly, the dispersal of the Jews had led to the 

 proper meaning of many of the old Hebrew names 

 of animals and plants being more or less completely 

 forgotten. 



Consequently the translators were plunged into ,1 

 very sea of difticulties, from which, considering all 

 things, ii i? little short of a marvel that, despite man\ 

 egregious blunders, thiW" emergtxl as crcdit.ifiU as 

 the\- did. In regard to names of which the niie 

 sigiiillcallon was not a|)parenl the 1 i',ms],iiors foljitwed 

 two distinct courses. In some cases, as, tor instance, 

 with shaf^hi'ii! ( ' thi' hider "), tlie\ m.ide ,1 " sjun " ,u 

 the meaning ol the name, rendering the one quoted b\" 

 cone\', the then current designation of the rodent we 

 now term (e.\c<pi in leg.d phi asi'ologx ) rabliil. On 

 the tiiher hand, soiiie Ilehrew names, [ihe shilli))! .and 

 alniu^, among the design, nioiis nt limher ami trees, 

 were transferred diiectlv to the I-aie|i>.ii \ci-sion with- 

 out anv atiempi at irauslalii -n oi' idem ilicai ion. .\nd 

 there is liiil( (Kuiln iliai ihis lainr w.is the p|-et'ei-able 

 . Indeed, in ihe c.is,- ..t alinug trees ii is almost 

 - ihe sp, cic s i^ noi \-et 

 iiu!\. alllioui^h il m,i\ be 

 ia. shiiiim-wi>od mielit. 

 i 'a. lull even litis 



e])ularl\- known 

 ''■■hinia. 



ih 



;il\ leL;II ilU.lle (Ml' 

 ilied W ilh ahs,,lule 



led sand, d-w < led ei 

 ol Course, he iiiiw tr.m- 

 would he Ulls.il ist.icloiw 



in this coiinliw h\ 1! ' 

 In .1 tew iiispinc' 



(lislii'ii , ilie traiisl. - 



could not pos-ihh h,i\e 



;no\\ n \]\i 



I !he\- 

 allium; ; 



