April 29, 1922] 



NATURE 



541 



female, who is the reputed creator of living things 

 and whose abode is in the sky. Animatism prevails, 

 and were-tigers and were-leopards are a feature in 

 j the popular beliefs. With all these matters Mr. 

 Hutton deals interestingly and in some detail, though 



Fig. 3. — Viswema village showing territced fields 

 From " The Angami Nagas. " 



he wisely assumes a cautious attitude in describing 

 the native beliefs in view of the uncertainty of the 

 material. 



The arts, industries, amusements, and general 

 domestic life, the laws and customs and other culture- 

 phenomena all receive adequate attention, and a 

 number of traditions, legends, and songs are recounted. 

 An important chapter deals with the Angami language, 

 which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group. There 

 are also several valuable appendices concerned with 

 special points, including a series of anthropometric 

 measurements. It is to be hoped that the Stone Age 

 of the Naga Hills may be the object of further re- 

 searches. Our knowledge of it is mainly, almost 

 exclusively, derived from stone celts which are locally 

 believed to be thunderbolts, and are valued as such by 

 the natives. One assumes that other types of stone 

 implements, which may be revealed by careful search, 

 must have been associated with the celts. They 

 should throw light upon the archaeology of the region, 

 a subject which as yet remains obscure. 



A few words of criticism are called for. Some of 

 Mr. Button's descriptions are by no means clear. 

 For instance, on p. 68 mention is made of a " trumpet " 

 upon which military bugle-calls are reproduced, but 

 which is not " blown with a loose hp." If this is so, 

 the instrument should not be described as a " trumpet," 

 and one wonders how bugle-calls can be imitated with- 

 out the " loose-lip " method of sound-production. 

 Again, on p. 93, we learn that " millet and Job's 

 tears . . . are . . . used for making rice beer," but 

 NO. 2739, VOL. 109] 



these ingredients are not referred to in the description 

 of the brewing of this staple drink, and one remains 

 uninformed as to their function in the process. On 

 p. 94 the reasons given for the food-^mna to women 

 are far from clear, and require further elucidation to 

 show the connection of ideas. 

 In a future edition of this ex- 

 cellent book it will be well if all 

 native words and place-names are 

 accented throughout, so as to 

 assist the uninitiated in their 

 correct pronunciation. This 

 should be a general rule in all 

 works of this nature. The illus- 

 trations are mostly good, several 

 are very good, and they are well 

 placed in reference to the text, but 

 references to particular figures 

 should appear in the letterpress. 

 Three useful maps are added. 



Mr. Hutton's enthusiasm and 

 industry in recording the details 

 of native life in the Naga Hills are 

 evidenced not only in his book upon the Angamis, but also 

 in his more recently published work on the Sema Nagas. 

 These books are so full of information in regard to 

 this important ethnological region that one thirsts 

 for more, and can only hope that other Naga tribes 

 (the Aos, Rengmas, Konyaks, etc.) may be described 

 in a similar manner. " The Angami Nagas " may 

 well serve as a model for further monographs. We 

 congratulate Mr. Hutton and his readers upon a 

 valuable and enlightening piece of work. 



Henry Balfour. 



The Manufacture of Explosives. 



Ministry of Munitions and Department of Scientific and 

 Industrial Research : Technical Records of Explosives 

 Supply, 1915-1918. No. I : Recovery of Sulphuric 

 and Nitric Acids from Acids used in the Manufacture 

 of Explosives : Denitration and Absorption. Pp. 

 viii-f-56. 125. (>d. net. No. 2: Manufacture of 

 Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and its Intermediate Products. 

 Pp. viii + 116. 175. 6d. net. No. 3 : Sulphuric Acid 

 Concentration. Pp. vi + 91. 125.net. No. 4 : The 

 Theory and Practice of Acid Mixing. Pp. vi + 93. 

 12s. net. (London : H.M. Stationery Office, 1920- 

 1921.) 



THE first four of the series of publications dealing 

 with the technical records of explosives supply 

 now to hand form a valuable addition to the literature 

 of technical chemistry. The work of preparing the 



T I 



