November 28, 1895] 



NATURE 



83 



.ill events it is a pity to promulgate the statement 

 that " the Esquimaux and cognate people appear to 

 be all members of the most primitive family amongst 



L.,u-1k 



leading, for the ordinary Palaeolithic implement is as 

 recognisable as the Neolithic. 



A succinct account is given of the various kinds of stone 

 arrow-heads, and of the bronze swords, daggers 

 and spear-heads, and they are classified ac- 

 cording to their several types ; but we are not 

 given any information as to their distribution, 

 nor is any clue given as to their relative dates 

 of the bronze weapons or of their foreign 

 equivalents. The well-known story of the e\ o- 

 lution of the socketed hatchet from the simple 

 flat copper celt is, however, detailed. The 

 famous gold ornaments are duly described, 

 and from the number of ornaments in 

 museums, especially in the Museum of 

 the Royal Irish Academy, and from the 

 records of finds, there is abundant evidence 

 that Ireland was at one time \cxy rich in that 

 precious metal ; indeed, it is probable that 

 gold ornaments were an important article of 

 trade, and we know that the Danes and other 

 Scandinavians raided the country and rifled 

 the tumuli and other tombs, being tempted by 

 these valuables. During the present century, 

 between ;^3o,ooo and ^40,000 worth of gold 

 ornaments are known to have been melted down. 

 .\ number of the mysterious rock-scribings 

 are illustrated, but no fresh light is thrown 

 upon them ; indeed, the chapter on ornamenta- 

 tion is not so satisfactory as it might have been. 

 The book is well printed, copiously illustrated, 

 carefully indexed, and one very valuable feature 

 is the bibliography, which gives a classified 

 list of over a thousand references. 



To sum up : the author has aimed high, and 

 has evidently spared no pains to do his best, 

 and he has succeeded in producing a book which 

 affords an extremely convenient introduction 

 the men I to Irish archaeology ; he has compiled diligently, but the 

 exercise of more criticism, and of a broader way of regard- 

 ing the data of archaeology, would have resulted in a better 



Hills, Co. Meath. 



the nations, ' and he adopts the view that 

 of the period of the megaceros and the reindeer "ap- 

 proximated in type to that now inhabiting the Arctic 

 regions." He is apparently unaware of the 

 distinguishing cranial characters of the 

 Lapps and Eskimo. While admitting that 

 there is a culture analogy between the 

 latter people and those of Neolithic times 

 in the British Islands, there is no evidence 

 for ascribing them to the same race. The 

 figures of the skulls on p. 21 are ludicrously 

 erroneous. 



When Colonel Wood- Martin passes to the 

 more well-beaten paths of arch;oolog\, there 

 is less to criticise, and it is evident that he 

 writes not only of facts gathered from a large 

 range of reading, but also from wide per- 

 sonal knowledge. We have a satisfactory 

 epitome of what is known on early domestic 

 architecture in the shape of beehive huts, 

 souterrains, cashels or forts, raths, and the 

 like ; as the author has made a special study 

 of crannogs, the Irish lake-dwellings are 

 adequately described. There is an interest- 

 ing chapter containing a good deal of folk- 

 lore on various rude stone monuments, in- 

 cluding cromleacs, earns or tumuli, pillar- 

 stones, holed-stones, &c. Clay vessels and 

 stone urns have a chapter to themselves, and 

 a number of them are figured. In dealing 

 with stone implements we find this statement : 

 " In the Palaeolithic or ancient stone period, 

 the manufacture of implements was so rude 

 that it is difficult to distinguish between the 

 flints artificially chipped by human agency, and those | book ; despite his own ideals the author has not sue 

 shaped by natural causes." .\s it stands this is very mis- | ceeded in getting, so to speak, outside his subject. 



NO. I 36 I. VOL. 53] 



Gold Ornamems (total • 

 one-half natural size. 



Slightly less than 



