April i i, 1901] 



NA TURE 



559 



practically unanimously, come to the conclusion that 

 Molge, and not Triton, is, for example, the proper title 

 of the newts, and morphologists refuse to accept the 

 change, we can only say so much the worse for the 

 morphologists. 



As we have already said, great credit is due to Prof. 

 Kingsley for the attention he has devoted to the 

 systematic part of his subject, as his own special studies 

 are mainly directed to the anatomical and embryological 

 aspects. But in these days it is well nigh impossible for 

 a man to gain sufficient knowledge of a section of a 

 subject with which he is not thoroughly familiar as to 

 avoid mistakes when writing on it. And it would have 

 been better for the reader had the author invoked the. 

 aid of a few specialists to revise the proofs of the 

 systematic section of the work. Many awkward "mis- 

 prints" and other errors would thereby have been 

 avoided. 



Restricting our criticism in this respect to the chapter 

 on mammals, we may call attention to quite a number of 

 "misprints" between pp. 395 and 399, most of which 

 will be self-apparent to those conversant with the sub-" 

 ject. One of the most serious is Choeropus for Choer- 

 opsis (p. 398) ; the one name indicating a marsupial and 

 the other a hippopotamus ! 



But there are more serious errors still. On p. 399 we 

 are told, for instance, that among the fossil genera of 

 antelopes are Cosoryx, Tragelaphus and Antidorcas ; the 

 second being the title of the existing bushbucks, or har- 

 nessed antelopes, and the third that of the springbuck, 

 which is alluded to on the same page as Gazella euchore, 

 Cosoryx being also mentioned higher up on the same 

 page as a deer ! Neither is it correct to say that the 

 American deer form only a sub-genus of Cervus. Again 

 (p. 400), the domesticated Indian cattle are not the 

 typical representatives of Bibos, and, indeed, do not 

 belong to that group at all ; while the statement (p. 401) 

 that mastodons occur in Africa is, so far as we are aware^ 

 not founded upon fact. Were we disposed to dwell upon 

 them, many other errors of a kindred nature might be 

 pointed out, but we pass on to the illustrations. 



Such of the latter as relate to anatomical structures 

 and the development of the embryo are far the most 

 satisfactory, and serve their purpose well, although fre. 

 quently not of a very high class from an artistic point 

 of view. But when we turn to the figures of birds and 

 mammals we are surprised that any publisher could have 

 been found willing to print such ghastly productions. 

 Perhaps the very worst amongst a hopelessly bad lot are 

 those of a bird of paradise on p. 350, and of the Sumatran 

 rhinoceros on p. 355. Smudgy daubs is a mild way of 

 describing them ; and in the present age of cheap photo- 

 graphic illustration, the appearance of such ill-executed 

 caricatures in any book is nothing short of a disgrace 

 to all concerned in its production. 



As regards the palaeontological aspects of the subject, 

 we think the author is to be congratulated on the manner 

 in which it is treated. Of course there will be errors — 

 and the omission of any mention of Ophthalmosaurus 

 when noticing the Ichthyosauria (p. 313) is one — but 

 they are few and far between ; and in the main the 

 relations of the extinct to the living types are well 

 explained. 



NO. 1641, VOL. 63] 



Apparently the book has been previously published in 

 America, and its reproduction in this country may be 

 taken as an indication that it has met with a favourable 

 reception in the land of its birth. In spite of the 

 blemishes to which we have referred (and they are, after 

 all, not very great), we have no hesitation m saying that 

 Prof. Kingsley's little volume is worthy of a hearty 

 welcome on this side of the Atlantic on the part of both 

 teachers and pupils. R. L. 



POPULAR BIBLICAL STUDIES. 

 The Social Life of the Hebrews. By the Rev. Edward 

 Day. The Semitic Series. Pp. 255. (London : John 

 C. Nimmo, 1901.) 



THE present volume is the second of a series pub- 

 lished under the editorship of Prof. Craig, of the 

 University of Michigan, with the object of presenting " in 

 popularly scientific form" the results of recent researches 

 in Semitic fields. Prof.Craig has laid down for the last two 

 years an ambitious programme of the work to be done 

 in his series, and has announced the titles of no less 

 than thirteen books of the series, but up to the present 

 time only two of them have appeared. The first, by 

 Prof. Sayce, was devoted to the social life of the Baby- 

 lonians and Assyrians, and was reviewed by us last year ; 

 the second, which has'appeared this year, and with which 

 we are concerned, deals with the manners and customs of 

 the ancient Hebrews. Mr. Day has undertaken a sub- 

 ject of great interest and, at the same time, one of great 

 difficulty, inasmuch as almost the only sources accessible 

 are limited to the Books of the Old Testament. 



The publication of the late Prof. Robertson Smith's 

 "Kinship and Marriage" and " Religion of the Semites" 

 marked a great advance in Semitic learning, and since 

 that time all writers on the customs of the Hebrews 

 have been in great measure indebted to these books. 

 In the first part of his book Mr. Day summarises to *a 

 certain extent the main features of Prof. Robertson 

 Smith's work, though with some serious omissions. The 

 Clan, the Family and Sacrifice are dealt with in three 

 short chapters, none too much space for such important 

 subjects, though doubtless enough for a popular work, 

 while the remainder of the first part treats of the Hebrews 

 during the period of the Judges. But no explanation at all 

 has been given of the significance of circumcision, either 

 as a sacrificial rite or from its connection with the hothen 

 " wife's father " ; and though this may be due to the fact 

 that the book is a popular work, yet, on the same grounds, 

 a good deal of the matter relating to the licentious temple 

 worship and similar customs might have been omitted. 

 More, too, might have been said with advantage on the 

 Subject of totemism, which is but briefly discussed. The 

 difficult subject of the Hebrew idea of the immortality of 

 the soul has, perhaps, been reserved for another volume 

 of the series, but we should have been glad to see a 

 little more space devoted to the popular beliefs concerning 

 Sheol, which is only spoken of once. Some reference, also, 

 might have been made to the stress laid by the Hebrews 

 on the importance of posterity and of prolonging the family 

 name, which thereby acquired a terrestrial immortality. 

 The chapter on the conception of Yahweh towards the 



