466 



NATURE 



[September 29, 1923 



dodge uf capital, and hate the aristocracy even of 

 learning. To him the university is simply the corporate 

 and social expression of civilisation's mind ; and, as 

 with the mind of an individual, although its fullest 

 cultivatioii K sense a luxur>',yet in another and 



broader \i the highest necessity. 



Avian Minstrelsy. 



Songs oj the Birds. By Prof . Walter Garstang. Second 

 edition. Pp.115. (London: John I.anc, Tiie Bodley 

 Head, Ltd., 1923.) 6^. net. 



WE have before us the second edition of this agree- 

 able and ver)' suggestive little book, the original 

 issue of which was noticed in Nature of August 12, 

 1922. A new song has been added and two passages 

 have been revised, but otherwise the alterations are 

 merely verbal. Mr. Shepherd's quaint little sketches 

 of the songsters again add to the pleasure of the reader. 



The book, we may recall, begins with an important 

 essay in which Prof. Garstang discusses the nature of 

 avian song, the role it plays in the life of the birds, and 

 the very interesting evolutionar}' aspects of the subject. 

 From that he proceeds to the vexed question of the 

 symbolic representation of song, and after having pro- 

 pounded his thesis on this point he begins his series of 

 representations of the music of the different species. 

 The reasons which he gives for the adoption of his 

 particular form of representation cannot fail to carry 

 some measure of theoretical conviction to the reader, 

 based as they obviously are on a thorough appreciation 

 of bird song aided by a knowledge of music and a sense 

 of poetr>'. It is harder to apply the practical test as 

 to whether the representations do indeed convey more 

 adequately than former attempts an idea of the various 

 songs, for one has to bear in mind the existence of 

 individual differences both in the hearing of the songs 

 and in the interpreting of the written symbol : one 

 hesitates, indeed, to express a definite opinion until 

 students of the subject have had further experience 

 in using the new method. If, however, either these 

 " first fruits " of Prof. Garstang's studies or some 

 future elaboration of them can in time be regarded as 

 making possible the adequate representation of different 

 songs on paper, he will have succeeded in making good 

 a deficiency of which the present existence is evident 

 in every text-book of ornithology. 



In the preface to the new edition the author replies 

 vigorously to such of the reviewers of his first edition 

 as were hostile in their criticisms, and in so doin- he 

 also takes to task our own by no means unappreciative 

 notice for not having discussed his auxiliary verses 

 from^^a scientific point of view. Lest we may seem 

 unjust in this respect we may herequote Prof . Garstang's 



NO. 2813, VOL. I 12] 



own account of his method and of the part which his 

 verses play therein : " The peculiar quality or timbre 

 of each bird's voice and the resonance of each sound 

 have been imitated as closely as possible by a selection 

 of human consonants ; the composition of t " 

 has been represented by the appropriate f 

 modification, or contrast of selected syllabi 

 syllabic rendering has been cast in a corresponding 

 rhythm ; and round this chosen sequence of syllables 

 a song has been woven to capture something, if possible, 

 of the joy or of the attendant circumstances which 

 form the natural setting of his song." We have 

 certainly no wish to quarrel too seriously with our 

 author as to where scientific method properly ends 

 and where more emotional vehicles of thought properly 

 begin. In his new preface he quite truly says that 

 " The exploration and illustration of the borderlands 

 of Science and Art will not end with my adventure " : 

 we may add the hope that even his own adventnr- 

 into these fields is by no means concluded. 



Prevention of Vibration and Noise. 



The Prevention oj Vibration and Noise 

 Eason. (Oxford Technical Publications.; j-j). xn - 

 163. (London : H. Frowde and Hodder and 

 Stoughton, 192 ^ :iet. 



THIS volume, as tlic author states in his preface, 

 does not profess to contain anything not 

 already known, but is a more or less classified account 

 of the work of various experimenters on the subject of 

 which it treats. Beginning with a useful but not 

 complete bibliography, and a note on the problems to 

 be investigated, later chapters treat of " annoying " 

 vibrations and their amplitude ; the means and 

 apparatus which have been used to measure them, the 

 vibrations of buildings, bridges, and other structures ; 

 means of damping vibration, the transmission and 

 isolation of noise ; and ending with an account of 

 balancing machines, i.e. machines for determining 

 whether, and how much, any revolving part is out of 

 statical or dynamical balance. 



As showing what has been done in these matters, 

 the book is useful for reference, but its value would 

 have been much increased by a more critical examina- 

 tion of the elements of the whole subject. It is difficult 

 in many places to know whether the author is gi\Tng 

 his own views or restating those of the exf)erimenters 

 whose results he summarises. 



In defining " annoyin ion, scarcely sufficient 



attention is given to the duierences in surrounding 

 conditions. What would be " annoying " in Mayfair 

 might be unobjectionable in Poplar. \Vhere wood or 

 asphalt pavement prevailed, the introduction of granite 



