424 



NATURE 



[January 3^1, 19 18 



description, it will carry us only a very little way 

 towards a solution of the problem. No one, 

 indeed, who has learnt the lesson of Kant can 

 imagine that percepts devoid of concepts satisfy 

 the conditions which make experience possible. 



The psychological problem of human instinct 

 emphasises the affective rather than the cognitive 

 aspect. Its inception was McDougall's theory in 

 "Social Psychology." The human instincts in 

 this view are innate dispositions to act under defi- 

 nite stimulation. They are distinct, and may be 

 enumerated, but each primary instinct is correlated 

 with a specific emotion. This relation of the 

 instinct to a specific emotion was challenged by 

 Shand in '* The Foundations of Character." Dr. 

 Drever puts forward an interesting theory of emo- 

 tion, which deserves particular notice. Emotion he 

 holds to be the " tension " due to the checking of 

 an impulse. 



The biological problem of instinct lays stress on 

 the conative aspect, and is mainly a genetic, as 

 opposed to an analytic, study. It is the genetic 

 problem which is emphasised in the experimental 

 work of Lloyd Morgan. Dr. Drever expounds 

 the view that the essential phenomenon in instinc- 

 tive behaviour is " primary meaning," which in 

 experience acquires "significance." This at 

 once indicates the practical relation of theory of 

 instinct to education. H. W. C. 



OUR BOOKSHELF. 



The Fishing Village and Other Writings. {Literary 

 and Scientific). By W. Omer-Cooper. Intro- 

 duction by George A. B. Dewar. (Bourne- 

 mouth : Horace G. Commin, 1917.) Price 

 35. 6d. net. 

 This little volume, from the patriotic point of 

 view, records the ready and eager devotion of 

 a young life, the self-sacrifice so nobly shared 

 with thousands of other men, including even 

 actual boys. To a scientific journal its appeal is 

 different. Though falling in loattle before he was 

 twenty-two, Wilfrid Omer-Cooper had already 

 made his rhark as a naturalist by ardour in re- 

 search, acuteness in observing, and a highly useful 

 facility of expression. Evidence of this zeal and 

 capacity led to his becoming a fellow of the Lin- 

 nean Society at the earliest possible date, as was 

 the case with Sir William Hooker and his son. 

 Sir Joseph Hooker, though with how different a 

 tenure, one of fewer weeks than they had years. 



The general reader can scarcely fail to be moved 

 by the quaintness of Mr. Omer-Cooper's almost 

 lover-like letters to his mother, who in earlier 

 years may well have felt no little anxiety from her 

 son's George-Borrow-like fondness for visiting 

 gipsy encampments. 



The chapters on lizards and serpents are of 

 popular interest without giving scope for any 

 special originality. It is among marine inverte- 

 brates and terrestrial isopods that the young 

 naturalist found an opening for advancing re- 

 search and encouraging scientific pursuits. In 

 NO. 2518, VOL. 100] 



regard to the latter group the name of Alexander 

 Patience should have been included in the list of 

 recent authorities. There is rather too sharp a 

 touch in the notice of "The British Woodlice," 

 by Webb and Sillem, since scarcely any com- 

 pendious work on any subject is free from "in- 

 accuracies." Even in this small volume slugs 

 are referred to as insects (p. 118); the generic 

 name Metoponorthus is used instead of Porcel- 

 lionides (p. 141), and the genus Paragnathia, in- 

 stituted in the Zoologist for January, 191 6, by the 

 author and his brother Joseph, is referred in con- 

 secutive lines to two different families (p. 153)- 

 The strange differences in the sexes of the 

 Gnathiidae are well described, and altogether 

 "The Fishing Village," with its youthful poetry, 

 solemn philosophy, well-considered science, and 

 other features, makes a very readable book. 



Cape Peninsida List of Serials: Second edition. 

 Pp. 95 + iv. (Cape Town : Printed for the Trus- 

 tees of the South African Public Library, 1917.) 

 This is a list of about 1300 scientific periodicals 

 which are available for reference to readers in the 

 Cape of Good Hope, the special feature being the 

 indication of the library or libraries in which each 

 periodical may be found. 



The compilation has been made by Mr. A. C. G. 

 Lloyd, who has had the advice and assistance of j. 

 Sir Thomas Muir and Mr. Pilling. ■( 



A notice of the first edition of this useful index '^ 

 appeared in Nature in 1912 (vol. xc, p. 434). The 

 work was then printed irv seven columns, the first 

 column giving the name of the periodical, the re- 

 maining columns being allotted to the libraries 

 indexed. 



In the new edition great care has been taken, in 

 dealing with incomplete sets, not only to state that 

 the set or volume is incomplete, but to give de- 

 tailed lists of the missing parts. The s'pace re- 

 quired for these details has been obtained by | 

 giving up the arrangement in parallel columns. i 

 These exact details as to missing parts and 

 volumes will no doubt induce the authorities of the 

 libraries in which they occur to take steps to fill 

 the gaps wherever that is possible. Indeed, it is 

 stated that since the publication of the first edition 

 of this list of serials gaps in thirty-one sets have 

 been wholly or partially filled up. 



Lists of serials which enable the scientific worker 

 to ascertain where a particular volume can be con- 

 sulted are always welcome. In the present case 

 consultation is made very easy by the simple 

 arrangement of the material. 



Chemistry for Beginners and Schoolboys. By 

 C. T. Kingzett. Second edition. Pp. viii+150. 

 ! (London: Bailliere, Tindall, and Cox, 1918.) 

 Price 25. (id. net. 

 The first edition of Mr. Kingzett 's little book was 

 reviewed in our issue of July 26 last (vol. xcix., 

 j p. 422). It is sufficient to say of the present 

 1 edition that some rearrangement of matter has 

 been made, and the book has been carefully re- 

 vised and considerably enlarged by the incorpora- 

 tion of some additional information. 



