March 17, 1910] 



NA TURE 



67 



would have caused Mr. Whymper's readers to look 

 carefully at the crested larks they saw instead of pass- 

 ing them over as " nearly the commonest birds." Which 

 form is represented in the plate it is difficult to say, 

 but certainly neither the almost black Galerita cristata 

 nigricans of the Delta nor the pale, sandy-coloured 

 G. c. altirostris found to the south of Cairo could be 

 recognised from the drawing. 



Again, on p. 76 the extraordinary statement is made 

 that the red-spotted bluethroat has never occurred on 

 migration in Germany, and that it flies without a 

 halt from Africa to Scandinavia. Because many 

 of the migrants which occur in winter in Egfj'pt 

 are of the same species as those which occur in north- 

 western Europe in summer, it is unreasonable, we 

 think, to suppose that they are the same individuals. 

 The further statement that the bird is but an accidental 

 visitor to Great Britain, and hardly worthy of a place 

 on the list of our birds, should also be corrected, since 

 it has been proved during the last ten j'ears, at all 

 events, to be a regular annual bird of passage in the 

 autumn. We have no wish to criticise unduly, but 

 we think it behoves an author to be even more careful 

 of his facts in a popular book of this kind than in a 

 book intended for readers who would not be so likely 

 to accept his statements unchecked. 



The ornithologist reading Mr. Whymper's pages 

 may cull a few observations of interest, such as a note 

 here and there on the winter habits of some of the 

 migrants. The list of birds at the end of the volume 

 is so far from being complete that we cannot think 

 that it has been revised by Mr. M. J. NicoU, who is 

 credited with having assisted the author in making it 

 •"as complete as possible." 



THE EVOLUTION OF AGRICULTURE. 



Die Entstehung der Pfltigkulttir. By Dr. Ed. Hahn. 

 Pp. viii + 192. (Heidelberg: C. W'inter, 1909.) 

 Price 3.60 marks. 



IN the study of culture-origins there seem to be 

 three working hypotheses. According to one, 

 institutions and material inventions were, so to speak, 

 " forced " upon man by the various exigencies of his 

 life. " Necessity is ' the mother of invention." 

 According to another, religion, or rather magic, 

 initiated such steps in progress. A third combines 

 these ; a step when made was enabled to persist and 

 be improved by the influence of religion. 



But each of these hypotheses, as others, takes into 

 account the psychological factors. How did the idea 

 of an invention occur? It is the first step that 

 counts; given the first step, for instance, in the 

 evolution of the bow, and the rest is easy. How, 

 then, did man hit upon the first step? Among the 

 conditions to be posited are "play" and accident. 

 There is a good deal to be done in the investigation 

 of the first steps of what may be called the primary 

 inventions. 



Dr. Eduard Hahn has written many volumes and 

 papers on economic history and culture-origins. He 

 is a suggestive writer, and is always ready with 

 NO. 2107, VOL. 83] 



a comparison between modern and primitive 

 •'diapasons," in Lamprecht's phrase for social atmo- 

 spheres. The present volume is more or less supple- 

 mentary, as an answer to criticisms of his theon,' 

 of the origins of agriculture. 



This theory is the magical-religious. It has been 

 severely criticised, and we must admit that in this re- 

 statement and defence Dr. Hahn fails to convince. 

 His method is almost as elliptic as Prof. Adolf 

 Bastian's. A closely reasoned argument confined to 

 one detail, for instance, the relation of the "Moon 

 Goddess " to the evolution of husbandry, and employ- 

 ing careful analogies when a step is taken from one 

 people to another, or from one culture-stage to 

 another, would have had better results. But he 

 seems to rely on the cumulative effect of data which 

 are of the most diverse nature and value. Thus we 

 have in unequal yoke a piece of folklore from Hesiod 

 or Macrobius, with a savage practice of the Australian 

 Arunta and a German peasant custom. But his 

 theory is too fanciful to be able to rely on such data. 



The points of the theory are mainly these : the 

 basis of primitive subsistence was vegetable, not 

 animal. The three-stage hypothesis of hunting, 

 herdsmanship, and husbandry is traversed. The 

 primitive Hackbau is distinguished from agriculture 

 proper, Pflugbau. Woman was the chief agent in 

 primitive economics, as the "gardener" with her 

 digging-stick. Thus far the theory is sound. But 

 it proceeds to urge the " religious " origin of the 

 domestication of animals, of the use of milk, of the 

 wagon and its wheels, and of the plough, all in 

 connection with the cult of the Moon. Much is made 

 of the sporadic indications of the connection of phalli- 

 cism with the "idea" of ploughing. 



Dr. Hahn's sketch of the primitive symbiosis of 

 Headman, Medicine-man, and Woman is good read- 

 ing. The Medicine-man protects the primitive ""crop" 

 from ghostly enemies, and secures for it ghostly 

 strength. The Headman organises material defence, 

 and, when free, the ordinary male hunts. But 

 primitive society was probably not quite like that; in 

 particular it is easy to exaggerate the influence of 

 "religion," A. E. Crawley. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



A Manual of Locomotive Engineering. By W. F. 



Pettigrew. Third edition, revised. Pp. xv + 356. 



(London : C. Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1969.) Price 



21S. 

 We had pleasure in noticing the first edition of this 

 book some ten years ago, when a favourable opinion 

 was expressed as to its value as an educational means 

 of assisting students of locomotive engineering in its 

 many phases. 



The author claims to have brought the work 

 thoroughly up to date, and, considering the tremendous 

 advances made in this branch of engineering during 

 the last ten or more years, we naturally expect some 

 evidence of really modern practice in the third edition. 

 It is very disappointing to find this is not the case. 

 Plate i. illustrates what the author describes as " the 

 new outside cylinder express engines designed by Mr. 

 W. Adams," &c. As Mr. Adams joined the majority 



