April 21, 192 1] 



NATURE 



2x1 



measure in which Egypt exerted influence on, or 

 ^vas influenced by, other lands. In the subject 

 of investigation, as in many other respects, Egypt 

 stands apart. At the outset of her ri\etal age it is 

 only natural that she should have borrowed from 

 Cyprus some of the copper forms current there ; 

 but, apart from the scalloped axe borrowed from 

 Syria about the Fifth Dynasty, there is no other 

 important instance of the borrowing and sub- 

 sequent development of any form throughout her 

 history. Other weapons, pins and the hke, of 

 European and Western Asiatic forms, are for the 

 most part importations due to commerce or inva- 

 sions. The non-adaptation of many of the most 

 useful European developments of the middle and 

 late Bronze age, particularly the socket, makes it 

 difficult to accept a Sicilian origin for the recurved 

 knife (K. 135). Why is it bronze in Sicily and 

 iron in Egypt, when neither Sicily nor Egypt was 

 using iron, and why is this peculiar form found 

 and not the equally peculiar Sicilian notched 

 razor (X.44)? It is regrettable that no mention 

 is made of the smith's hoard from Cyprus 

 (Dussaud, op. cit., Fig. 180), which contains many 

 parallels to Egyptian types. The idea (p. 30) that 

 the sword or dagger with winged flanks at the 

 top of the blade is a scattered type is probably 

 quite erroneous. D.163, cited as one example, is 

 indubitably a halberd of a form peculiar to 

 Western Europe, and thus the wings served a 

 purpose entirely different from that of the wings 

 of D.161 and D. 162. D. 162 is certainly Minoan 

 in origin, so that this type is in reality confined to 

 the /Egean and Greece of Minoan times. 



Though restricting himself to such classes of 

 implements as actually occur in Egypt, Prof. 

 Petrie has much that is suggestive to say about 

 many European forms. Particularly interesting 

 are his remarks on the pretended ^gean copper 

 ingots of double-axe form, and the very numerous 

 figures of European implements over and above 

 the Egyptian examples provide a valuable corpus 

 for archaeological study. The work throughout 

 brims over with instances of Prof. Petrie 's 

 ingenuity in offering practical explanations of 

 details of form and technique. The paragraphs 

 and plates dealing with bronze-casting and stone- 

 cutting are a useful adjunct to what he has already 

 written on these subjects in his " Arts and Crafts 

 of Ancient Egypt," though even to Prof. Petrie 

 the material used in the latter art as applied 

 to the harder rocks remains a mystery. 



A few misprints have been noticed. On p. 20, 

 ?;48C, C.25 should be C.26; on p. 46, 1. 34, 

 " durite " is of course diorite ; and the references 

 for K.130 and 137 are M.A. xxi. vi., not v. 

 NO. 2686, VOL. 107] 



Our Bookshelf. 



Report of the Ninth Antiual Conference of Educa- 

 tional Associations held at the University Col- 

 lege, London, 1921. Pp. viii + 470. (London: 

 Conference Committee, 9 Brunswick Square, 

 London, W.C.i, 1921.) 55. 



It is stated in the preface to this highly important 

 report that the ninth annual Conference of Educa- 

 tional Associations was even more successful than 

 any of its predecessors. The report includes 

 the proceedings of thirty-seven out of the 

 forty-six various educational associations which 

 are affiliated to the National Conference, which ex- 

 tended from December 29 to January 8. The 

 conference was presided over by \'iscount Burn- 

 ham, whose Committee, under his guidance, has 

 done such admirable work in relation to the 

 financial position of the teachers in elementary 

 and secondary schools. The various associations 

 meet together under the auspices of the Teachers' 

 Guild of Great Britain and Ireland, and some of 

 them take the occasion to hold their annual 

 meetings, and afterwards throw their meet- 

 ings open to any members attending the 

 conference. 



The proceedings of the conference began at 

 Bedford College with an inaugural address by 

 Prof. J. Adams, of the University of London, on 

 " Instinct and Education." Two joint conferences 

 were held. The first discussed "The Use of 

 Psycho-analysis in Education," and was so 

 largely attended that an extra joint conference 

 was afterwards held at which the subject was 

 further considered ; while the second dealt 

 with the important question of " How Best Can 

 a Feeling of Professional Solidarity be Created 

 and Maintained among Teachers?" at which 

 Viscount Burnham presided. This was held on 

 the last day of, the conference, and was but 

 meagrely attended. It was, unfortunately, held 

 in the absence of any official representatives of 

 the large body of primary teachers. 



The conference was attended by 2200 members 

 of the affiliated societies, as well as by nearly 1000 

 visitors. Arrangements are in course of prepara- 

 tion for the next conference to begin on 

 December 28 or 29 next, when it is expected that 

 further associations will have joined the confer- 

 ence. 



In Farthest Burma. By Capt. F. Kingdon Ward. 

 Pp. 311. (London: Seeley, Service, and Co., 

 Ltd., 1921.) 25s. net. 



Capt. Kingdon Ward left Myitkyina, the rail- 

 head in Upper Burma, in April, 1914, on a journey 

 to the little-known frontier lands around the head 

 streams of the Irrawaddi, with the object of con- 

 tinuing the botanical researches which had pre- 

 viously taken him to Yunnan and the Burmese 

 frontier. His course was by the Nmaihka valley, 

 with a deviation via the Ngawchanghka valley 

 and an ascent of Imaw Bum, to the frontier post at 

 Kawnglu. Thence he passed by Langtao to Fort 



