March 2, 1922J 



NA TURE 



265 



As to faults, there is need of revision at the beginning 

 of the book in reference to the characteristic of the 

 )ihng-point. There is no index, and though one 

 see the pecuhar difficulty of indexing this book, 

 le omission is an inconvenience. It seems worth 

 )nsidering whether enlarged copies of the beautiful 

 lotographs which illustrate the book might not be 



. 5- — ^Ihe crystal of Fig. 4 flattened by a single blow from a small drop- 

 hammer ; the thin plate was in a highly strained condition and the 

 cracks developed in 24 hours. From "Aggregation and Flow of 

 Solids." 



i-ssued so that they could be framed and hung on 



(lass-room walls. 



A last suggestion, oifered to teachers, is that this 

 K)ok should be freely prescribed to students of physical 



-< ience. It seems very important in times with so 

 trong an atmosphere of relativity and with quanta 

 ') some of us almost more than suff., that students 

 liould see how much may still be accomplished by 



I faithful, indefatigable experimenter, who, with full 



;iiowledge, yet without prejudice, will scrupulously 

 \amine what lies positively and immediately in front 



•1 him. A. Smithells. 



Pictish Stone Circles. 



';/ Some Antiquities in the Neighbourhood of Dimecht 

 House, Aberdeenshire. By the Rt. Rev. Dr. G. F. 

 Browne. Pp. xiv-i- 170 + 63 plates. (Cambridge : At 

 the University Press, 1921.) 635. net. 



DUNECHT HOUSE, Aberdeenshire, became known 

 to science by the researches of Drs. Copeland and 

 I.ohse at an observatory established there by the Earl 

 of Crawford. The district so thoroughly examined by 

 the distinguished author of this superb book is that of 

 Lady Cowdray's Scottish estate and the immediate 

 -surroundings, a district known as " 'twixt Don and 

 Dee." 



NO. 2731, VOL. 109] 



Confining my remarks to the subject which is given 

 the largest space in the book, there is in the district 

 of Dunecht a " large number of stone circles unique 

 in type " (p. i), the characteristic feature being a 

 tangential alignment, generally in the south-west 

 quadrant, made by a recumbent stone and its upright 

 flankers. Of these circles Sir Norman Lockyer 

 examined twenty-nine, and in fifteen instances he 

 found a clock-star alignment at right angles to the 

 recumbent stone. He discovered, in fact, the key to 

 this unique type of circle. In my opinion, the glory 

 of Dr. Browne's work on the Dunecht circles shines in 

 the fact that in it the typical Pictish temple thrown 

 open by Sir Norman Lockyer may now be inspected 

 to the smallest detail. 



A happy inspiration led the author to appeal to 

 the Principal of the University of Aberdeen for a survey 

 to be made of three circles, using the recumbent stone 

 and flankers as a tangential base line, and measuring 

 the alignment made by each stone with the middle 

 of the recumbent stone. The survey was made by 

 Drs. Fyvie and Geddes, and the circles were those of 

 Midmar, Castle Eraser, and Sin Hinny (Sunhoney). 

 It is most fitting that the three plans form Plate I. 



Realising the importance of Dr. Browne's con- 

 tribution to science, I have examined the seven plans 

 of circles given in the book, and find that the alignments 

 of the other four are also to be interpreted from the 

 recumbent stone, the evidence being alignments in 

 pairs at right angles to each other. 



The whole truth, partly discovered by Sir Norman 

 Lockyer, seems to be this : In the Pictish type of 

 circle all alignments must have been originally made 

 in pairs at right angles to each other. Finding this 

 first, or fundamental, principle of circle-building fully 

 established in each of the seven cases examined, I 

 have appHed that principle to test the present condition 

 of each circle. By such a test six circles are found to 

 be defective, and I think it is quite possible, theo- 

 retically, to restore the defective parts. 



It is most fortunate that one circle is perfect accord- 

 ing to the revealed Pictish standard, and that is 

 Auchquhorthies (p. 69). It consists of a recumbent 

 stone and flankers and nine other stones (the three 

 stones on the inner side of the recumbent stone had 

 probably some supplementary use). The outer sides 

 of the flankers are aligned with the recumbent stone, 

 but on their inner sides they have separate alignments 

 which rank in the rectangular scheme of the circle 

 and, with those of the nine out-lying stones, have a 

 common base at the middle of the recumbent stone. 

 The twelve separate alignments made by the twelve 

 stones of the circle proper present six pairs of comple- 

 mentary measures. To obtain this result it is necessary 



L I 



