174 



NA TURE 



[December 20, 1894 



on p. 306, that indirect association of ideas is " easily 

 demonstrated," when several investigators, one recently 

 in Prof. Wundt's own laborator)-, have failed to find any 

 evidence of such a mode of association. 



The translation has been verv well done, and especial 

 care has evidently been devoted to the rendering of the 

 German psychological terms. The translators have very 

 freely used the term " to sense " as a verb corresponding 

 to sensation, and as the equivalent of " empfinden." 

 This American innovation, which has already been advo- 

 cated by Dr. Titchener, is also used by Prof. Lloyd 

 Morgan in his two books, and it must be acknowledged 

 that there is decided need of some such term. 



Dr. Kiilpe is chief assistant to Prof. Wundt at the 

 Leipzig Institute, and his experience in teaching and in 

 directing investigation must have contributed largely to 

 make his book what it is— one of the best existing ex- 

 positions of experimental psychology. The general 

 teaching follows that of Wundt, but there is much that 

 is novel in matter and arrangement. Physiological 

 details and the technique of experimental methods are 

 omitted or treated very briefly, but the principles of the 

 methods are fully discussed. Dr. KUlpe's book will 

 probably be largely used as a te.\t-book for advanced 

 students. 



Prof. Lloyd Morgan's two books, to a certain extent, 

 cover the same ground. Each is an exposition of general 

 psychological principles to serve as guides, in the one case, 

 to the scientific study of the animal mind ; in the other, 

 to the practical study of the child's mind. Both books 

 are characterised by the sound common sense with which 

 the author treats his problems. 



The views held on the nature of the animal mind are 

 very similar to those of Wundt. Both agree that in 

 studying animal psychology the scientific method is to 

 explain actions by the simplest possible mental processes, 

 and this method has led both to similar conclusions, 

 although expressed in sotnewhat different language. 

 Wundt refers all intelligent acts of animals to simple 

 associations, to the exclusion of any higher apperceptive 

 process ; while Prof. Morgan explains such acts by simple 

 sense experience, and doubts, though he does not deny, 

 the existence of any true reasoning or reflective process. 

 A point justly insisted on by Prof. Morgan is that obser- 

 vation of an apparently rational action in an animal is of 

 little value without knowledge of the process by which 

 the action has been developed ; " in zoological psychology 

 we have got beyond the anecdotal stage ; we have reached 

 the stage of experimental investigation." 



The book for teachers is very interesting, and contains 

 much that should be of practical value. It is noteworthy 

 that the appreciative preface, with its ample recognition 

 of the part that a knowledge of psychology should take 

 in the equipment of the teacher, is written by Dr. 

 Fitch, late one of H.M. Chief Inspectors of Training 

 Colleges. 



Prof. Ladd has attempted a very difficult task in 

 writing a primer of psychology suited for the young. 

 His book is often simple and clear ; it is to be feared, 

 however, that youthful readers will find much of it 

 beyond their capacity. The author has, at any rate, 

 avoided the fault of being too dogmatic. 



NO. 1.^12, VOL. 5 1] 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Radiant Suns. By Agnes Giberne. (London : Seeley 

 and Co., 1S95.) 



In this sequel to a former work, the reader is taken 

 by easy stages into the domain of spectroscopic astro- 

 nomy and the evolution of worlds. Though follow- 

 ing some astronomers who ought to know better, the 

 authoress takes the unphilosophical view that the whole 

 process of stellar evolution is one of cooling ; and this is 

 the more difficult to understand, as she is evidently not 



^ unfamiliar with the fact that a condensing bod v may 



, actually be getting hotter (p. 307). While strongly'advo- 

 cating the value of hypotheses as aids to investigation, 

 she is inconsistent enough to make contemptuous 

 reference to the " half-tledged " theories of "scientists 

 of a lower order" (p. 240) ; her qualifications for making 

 such distinctions are not very clear to us, but ht-r opinions 

 seem to depend to some extent on personal bias, since 

 special prominence is given to the views and work of 

 one observer. 



A preface is contributed by Mrs. Huggins, who is 

 careful to disclaim responsibility in matters of opinion, 

 and laments that the masses of men overlook the fact 

 that " the mvestigator, absorbed in pursuits far removed 

 from those of ordmary life, is also a toiling worker, and 

 a worker of the highest order." 



[ The illustrations are admirable and quite up to date. 

 It would be worth while, however, to revise the coloured 



' plate of stellar spectra, so that the spectrum of Vega 

 would not be robbed of its strongest characteristic — the 

 lines of hydrogen. 

 We believe that the book will succeed in awakening a 



j desire for further knowledge in the minds of thoughtful 

 readers ; and if so, it will serve a useful purpose. 



Album von Papi'ia-Typcii. \'on A. B. Meyer and 

 R. Parkinson. (Dresden: Stengel und Markert, 



1894.) 



To ethnologists, the Papuan race is one of the most 

 interesting in the world. Whether the Papuan represents 

 a distinct type of mankind or not is doubted by some 

 observers, though the balance of evidence is in favour 

 of that conclusion. This splendid collection of fifty- 

 four plates reproduced from photographs, and repre- 

 senting about six hundred portraits of individuals, 

 should be of great assistance in studying the similarities 

 and differences between the typical Papuan, and the 

 natives of southern and eastern New Guinea. The 

 photographs illustrate the natives of New Britain, the 

 Duke of York Islands, New Ireland, Admiralty Islands, 

 Solomon Islands, German New Guinea, and Dutch New 

 Guinea. They represent the pcuple as they are ordi- 

 narily seen, and also decorated with the strange costumes 

 assumed at feasts. Particul.trly striking are the pictures 

 of natives of New Britain adorned for one of their 

 Dukduk dances, and of the ingenious basket-work 

 traps used by the fishermen. ICthnology will benefit 

 by the publication of this collection of really excellent 

 pictures. 



Farm Vermin, Ihlpful and Harmful. By various 

 Writers. Edited by John Watson, K.L.S. Pp. 85. 

 (London : William Rider and Son, Limited, 1894.) 

 Composite books are almost always unsatisfictory, the 

 chapters by the various contributors lieing necessarily 

 unequal in quality and kngih. We really cannot 

 understand why this little book of eighty pages should 

 not have been written by a single zoologist, instead 

 of the eight who have helped to consliuct it. The 

 only justification for the patch-wcirk is that each of 

 the writers is more or less an authority upon the subject 

 he describes ; but the book is of such an elementary 



