I 



June i6, 1921] 



NATURE 



497 



duction of foreign diseases has had a dis- 

 astrous effect, accentuated by the imported 

 vices, which are usually more attractive and 

 more easily assimilated than are the white 

 man's virtues. Fear of death does not appear 

 to weigh heavily upon the natives. A number of 

 native legends is given at the end of the volume, 

 affording useful material for comparative study. 



It may seem ungrateful to express the wish 

 that Mrs. Hadfield's descriptions of industries, 



Fig. 3. — Hair-dressing as a work of an. From " Among the Ibos of Nigeria. 



appliances, and habits might have been more de- 

 tailed, since the production of a complete text- 

 book was not her intention. In asking for more, 

 one does so in full recognition of the praiseworthy 

 and useful work performed by the author in 

 giving us this very readable and well-illustrated 

 book, which deserves fuller notice than can here 

 be given. 



(2) Another product of many years of missionary 

 NO. 2694, VOL. 107] 



intercourse with natives, involving close personal 

 contact, is the Rev, G. T. Basden's volume deal- 

 ing with the Ibos of Southern Nigeria.. The 

 author has aimed at giving a fairly detailed, 

 though popularly written, account of these in- 

 teresting natives, and has succeeded in producing 

 an instructive and attractive volume. He sounds 

 a note of caution which may well be taken to heart 

 by globe-trotters and stay-at-home amateurs who,, 

 with little or no experience, write books about 

 native ideas and beliefs. He 

 'writes: "The longer one lives 

 amongst West African natives, 

 the more one is convinced that it 

 is a practical impossibility for the 

 European to comprehend fully 

 the subtleties of the native char- 

 acter. Some white men claim to 

 have done this, but my experience 

 leads me to think that the claim 

 can rarely, if ever, be substan- 

 tiated with definite assurance." 



This is an honest admission on 

 the part of one who- has lived 

 long enough among the natives 

 to realise the difficulties involved 

 in the diagnosis of their men- 

 tality, and to recognise the funda- 

 mental difference between their 

 "philosophy" and ours. The 

 Ibo people, who form nearly one- 

 half the population of Southern 

 Nigeria, occupy the country 

 King mainly between the Niger 

 and Cross rivers, a huge tract 

 extending from the coast to 7°^ 

 N. lat. There is a westerly ex- 

 tension across the Niger. The 

 Ibos are not homogeneous, im- 

 portant variations occurring in 

 the extensive area occupied. The 

 environment varies considerably, 

 from the low-lying swamps of 

 the Delta to the higher land 

 around Onitsha. 



The book is a timely one, since 

 the indigenous customs are very 

 rapidly undergoing changes, 

 though in 1900, when Mr. 

 Basden arrived there, primitive 

 conditions still largely persisted. 

 The general Ufe of the Ibos is 

 well presented. A man's greatest 

 desire in life is to advance in 

 social status, and many crimes 

 are committed in order to promote this 

 advancement. Theft (to obtain the neces- 

 sary funds), murder, and head-taking (as a 

 sign of prowess) are very usually the outcome of 

 this craving for higher titles. Cannibalism has 

 been rampant, human flesh being regarded as a 

 valuable food product. Polygamy is favoured 

 equallv by both sexes, and will be suppressed only 

 with great difficulty. The first wife takes prece- 



