56 



NATURE 



[November 15, 1900 



-and treats the locusts of different countries as, to all 

 intents and purposes, the same insect. His book will 

 no doubt be very useful to agriculturists in countries 

 infested by locusts ; but he scarcely allows for the vari- 

 ations in habit which exists between different species. 

 For instance, he observes that the South American 

 ilocusts are said to breed on the shores of certain lakes 

 in Bolivia, and asserts that if they could be destroyed in 

 this locality they would be exterminated from the whole 

 •of South America (!). It is hardly possible to take such 

 a remark seriously ; but we may perhaps observe that 

 even if the story were true, it could only be true of one or 

 ■two species at most. It is also suggested that ophthalmia 

 in Egypt (well known to be spread by flies) may be 

 caused by locusts. 



Dr. Munro also claims that his book is the first on 

 the subject ; but we are more inclined to think that a 

 locust bibliography would fill a book as large as his own. 

 Besides, some of his illustrations appear to be taken 

 -from American works. 



An interesting account is given of the appearance of 

 what is called the "new" locust in South Africa, and he 

 ■quotes from Mr. Pdringuey : " The present species was 

 very closely allied to Acridium peregrinum, and in the 

 same way that that species had swarmed into Algeria 

 after the myriads of a smaller locust, Stauronotus (not 

 Jauronotus^ as printed) marocanus, had been destroyed 

 at great expense, this present species was following in 

 the rear of a smaller locust, Paehytylus migratorius" 

 (§ 166). One curious point is that the "new locust" is 

 said to be unwholesome, if not actually poisonous, by 

 the natives. However, in § 32, under the heading, 

 " Scientific Definition," we read, " the locust we have 

 here (in Africa) is, to all intents and purposes, the same 

 insect called technically the Acridium peregrinum, 

 Locusta migratoria^ or the wandering locust " (Fig. 4a, 

 p. 2)l)- Here it will be seen that two species, by no 

 means closely related, are spoken of as if they were 

 the same ; and on turning to p. 37 we find two figures of 

 locusts, specified as "The African Locust" and "The 

 South Ariierican Locust," as if there was only one species 

 "in each continent. 



The book is very diffusely written, and treats of a great 

 variety of subjects, some of them rather irrelevant to the 

 locust question. It is, however, divided into 900 num- 

 l)ered paragraphs, and provided with an excellent index, 

 which will make it a useful book of reference, though it 

 would be rather a formidable undertaking to read it 

 through from cover to cover, 



J^egons d^ Anthropologic Philosophique, ses Applications 



d la Morale Positive: Par D. Folkmar. Pp.xiv-l-336. 



(Paris : Schleicher Freres, 1900.) 

 Science exists for the sake of something beyond itself. 

 Doing, not knowing, is what determines the place and 

 •significance of any body of doctrine in the hierarchy of 

 arts and sciences. The synthesis of the human sciences 

 in the light of their worth for action is not effected by 

 •sociology. This fails to include certain individual 

 sciences. In this way Prof. Folkmar makes the transi- 

 tion from the sociological studies, which engrossed him 

 at Chicago, to the philosophical, as opposed to physical, 

 -anthropology, which he expounds from his chair at 

 Brussels. 



The changed point of view involves an endeavour 

 •after a new classification of the sciences of man, a 

 •critical determination of the limits of those sciences as 

 hitherto pursued, and a sketch of the unifying concep- 

 tions that involves disquisitions psychological, anthro- 

 pological in the narrower sense, and ethical. To the 

 practical applications of his teaching Prof. Folkmar 

 proposes to devote his life. 



Dr. Folkmar may be described as Spencerian, though 

 critically so. He rests much on Letourneau, and has 

 studied in the following of Giddings, Lester Ward and 



NO. 1620, VOL. 63] 



other of the "new sociologists." He owes something 

 to Guyau. He exhibits on the whole a sober judgment, 

 and is frequently suggestive in his treatment even of 

 well-worn topics. It is therefore the more to be re- 

 gretted that he has almost buried good work among 

 platitudes, second-hand matter and pretentious tech- 

 nical phraseology, doubtfully permissible in his confer- 

 ences and inadmissible in the litera scripta meant to 

 endure. 



Terms such as anthropographie (of which different 

 misprints occur, pp. 71, 72), archeographie (which means 

 ancient geography), and praxdologie detract from the 

 merit of Dr. Folkmar's graphic representation, upon the 

 faces of a cube, of the sciences of man. His much use 

 of the word " innervation," defined as meaning simply 

 " a form of vibration of the nervous tissues," is a weak- 

 ness of the same kind. Nothing, surely, is gained by 

 declaring the question of the unitary origin of the race 

 to be "on ultimate analysis the question of monogenism 

 versus polygenism" (p. 127). 



More serious in a work of scientific pretensions is 

 what we take to be a missing of the main point with 

 regard to polyandry in the remark (p. 188) that where 

 it obtains many women must needs remain unmarried. 

 That completeness of life can be determined with 

 mathematical exactness (p. 319) needs proof. In an 

 otherwise ingenious suggestion for a grading of scientific 

 asseveration " impossible" (p. 67, line 24) z'j impossible, 

 and " improbable," which is not improbably the right 

 reading, will not balance the "probable" which has 

 preceded. 



In fine, though Dr. Folkmar's ability to supply a 

 text-book of anthropology as he conceives it will not 

 admit of question, and an essay from his pen developing, 

 say, the conception which he would substitute for Mr. 

 Spencer's ethical ideal might prove instructive, his 

 present book suggests the high-class amateur who enters 

 for the first time in a tournament of masters. 



H. W. B. 



The Principles, Construction and Application of Pumping 

 Machinery. By Henry Davey. Pp. xvi + 295 ; 250 

 illustrations. (London : Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd., 

 1900.) 

 The purpose of this book, as stated by the author, is to 

 present information on pumps and pumping machinery 

 in such a form as to make it useful to the practical 

 engineer engaged in the application of pumping machinery 

 in mines and for waterworks, or in other positions where 

 large quantities of water have to be dealt with. This 

 purpose has been fairly accomplished. The information 

 given is of a thoroughly practical character and made 

 plain by numerous illustrations, and the book cannot 

 fail to be of great use either to the student seeking in- 

 formation or to the practical engineer engaged in works 

 requiring pumping machinery. 



The first chapter contains an interesting summary of 

 the gradual development of pumping machinery. Corn- 

 wall may be said to be the land of the birth of large 

 pumping installations. It was here that both Savery 

 and Newcomen brought into use the power of steam for 

 raising water from the mines, and their engines remained 

 in use until Watt introduced the system of a separate 

 condenser. It is not much more than a century and a 

 quarter ago that Boulton and Watt commenced the 

 manufacture of their engines for the coal-mines in 

 Staffordshire and Warwickshire, but it was Cornwall 

 that afforded the great field for the development of 

 Watt's inventions. The progress of this development is 

 interesting. The coal-mines were becoming deeper and 

 very costly to drain. The proprietors were unwilling to 

 incur the expense of removing the old atmospheric 

 engines put down by Newcomen ; and to meet this 

 difficulty Boulton and Watt erected many engines at 

 their own expense, taking as payment one-third of the 



