May 24, 19 1 7] 



NATURE 



243 



|X)rt band " may be an exact transliteration of the 

 •German original, but an English engineer would 

 employ the usual phrase "conveyor-belt," in the 

 same way that he would speak of the " flue " of a 

 stove, and not, as the translator has done, of a 

 "smoke-pipe." Unless the reader of this un- 

 satisfactory translation himself knows German, 

 lie would be hard put to it to discover that what 

 the translator calls the hard cast-iron . " covers" of 

 ■crushing rolls are really chilled iron roll-shells. No 

 ;good purpose can be served by further extending 

 this list of blunders ; enough has been said to 

 show that the reader must be on his guard 

 throughout the book, and will have to use his 

 ingenuity in order to arrive at the author's real 

 meaning in many unintelligible passages. 



Messrs. Griffin and Co. have earned for them- 

 selves a high reputation for their splendid series 

 of technological publications, which have been 

 productive of the utmost benefit to our industries, 

 -and it is a matter for grave regret that the present 

 volume should fall so far below the high standard 

 of excellence of these works. It is sincerely to be 

 "hoped that if a translation of the second volume 

 of Prof. Franke's book is in hand, they will take 

 •care to have the proofs revised by someone 

 capable of doing justice to the original. 



H. L. 



PROBLEMS OF BEHAVIOUR. 



((i) What is Instinct? Some Thoughts on Tele- 

 pathy and Subconsciousness in. Animals. By 

 C. Bingham Newland. Pp. xv + 217. (Lon- 

 don : John Murray, 1916.) Price 6s. net. 



^2) Studies in Animal Behavior. By Dr. S. J. 

 Holmes. Pp. 266. (Boston : Richard G. 

 Badger, 1916.) Price 2.50 dollars. 



nPHESE two books deal with the same subject — 

 -*- animal behaviour; but they could scarcely 

 "be more sharply contrasted, for the one is scien- 

 tific and the other is not. 



(i) Mr. Newland, as sportsman and field 

 -naturalist, has many interesting facts to submit 

 and personal obser\'ations to relate, which is all 

 to the good ; but he has ventured on a line of 

 interpretation where verification is impossible. 

 His study of adaptive behaviour has led him to 

 the conclusion that "the marvellous precision and 

 "fitness of these actions can only be attributed to 

 'Omniscience manifesting in the creature." In 

 spite of the abundant illustrations of "trial and 

 'error " procedure to be found among animals, he 

 tells us that "the creatures involved make no 

 tentative experiments, but the perception of how 

 and when to act comes to them subconsciously." 

 But it is not exactly their own subconscious mind 

 that operates ; it is a " subconscious principle 

 directly transmitted from the ' mainspring ' — All- 

 "Mind." The life-principle (soul) of the insect 

 or other member of the animal world is a centre 

 of subconsciousness, temporarily set apart, but 

 ■ever " in touch " with the All-Conscious. Hence 

 their infallibility ! Mr. Newland is altogether 

 too metaphysical. 



NO. 2482, VOL. 99] ^ 



(2) We breathe a different atmosphere in Dr. 

 Holmes's careful study, which adheres to scien- 

 tific methods and verifiable formulae. The book 

 begins with an historical sketch which shows how 

 the pendulum has swung many times between the 

 extremes of generosity and parsimony, reading 

 the man into the beast and reducing the animal 

 to an automatic machine. The second chapter 

 pictures the stages in the evolution of parental 

 care, which is regarded as an extension of repro- 

 ductive processes and as the foundation of social 

 instincts. It is long, however, before it becomes 

 necessary to insist on the psychical aspect of 

 behaviour, which, objectively considered, cannot 

 but be described as very efficient parental care. 



The next three chapters deal with tropisms, 

 which are prominent among lower organisms, and 

 enter as components into the more complex 

 activities of higher animals. While there are 

 many orientations that may be described as trop- 

 isms and regarded as inevitable reflex effects, 

 there are in other cases sundry complications 

 which suggest more than the involuntary reaction 

 of a "reflex machine." There is apparent selec- 

 tion of random movements, and there are modifi- 

 cations of routine which are consequent on experi- 

 ence. An account is given of the widespread 

 phenomenon of the reversal of tropisms, and the 

 variety of causes by which it is induced. 



In regard to " learning " Dr. Holmes writes : 

 "Given the power of forming associations be- 

 tween responses, the animal acquires new habits 

 of action by repeating those resf>onses which 

 arouse instinctive acts of a congruous kind, and 

 by discontinuing those responses which arouse 

 instinctive acts of an incongruous kind." "The 

 new things an animal learns to do are done be- 

 cause they have been assimilated to its instinctive 

 activities." "The securing of any advantage 

 through the. method of trial and error presupposes 

 congenital modes of response which are adapted 

 to secure the welfare of the individual." Blunder- 

 ing into success, would be of no ser\-ice unless the 

 organism were capable of turning to advantage 

 its fortunate trial movement. " In order to do 

 this the organism must be provided for the situa- 

 tion by its inherited endowment." "It is inherit- 

 ance that affords the means by which inheritance 

 is improved." We cannot do more than refer to 

 the author's suggestive discussion of the way in 

 which behaviour may help to mould form, of the 

 analogy between behaviour and development, of 

 the twofold origin of "feigning death," of the 

 diverse modes of sex-recognition, and of the rSle 

 of sex in the evolution of mind. The last chapter 

 gives a charming account of a study of a bonnet 

 monkey's mind. 



The whole book is vividly interesting, and while 

 the author flies a number of kites, he is careful 

 to distinguish between fact and theory-. He shows 

 true scientific caution in stating his own views, 

 and fair-mindedness in his criticism of those 

 which he rejects. A distinctive feature of his 

 method is the combination of analytic and 

 genetic inquir\\ J. A. T. 



