314 



NATURE 



[February i, 1894 



The author also discards any physical or chemical 

 account of absorption. The cells absorb in virtue of 

 their " vital activity." Finally, in describing the process 

 of respiration, he states his position generally in the 

 following sentence : — " Much recent physiological re- 

 search has shown that we must largely abandon physical 

 theories for what are called vitalistic theories ; in other 

 words, the vital processes of selection possessed by the 

 cell may counteract or supplement physical processes." 



It is probably significant, as it is new for vitalism, as a 

 theory of life, to put forward a claim to recognition in the 

 name of " recent research " We are accustomed to the 

 theory being classed among things which are not only 

 characterised by the flavour of antiquity, but are familiar 

 to those only who shun all kinds of experimental 

 investigation. If vitalism be adopted as the true point 

 of view in biology, it will clearly be necessary to recon- 

 sider the position of physiological chemistry as a science. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



The Sacred City of the Ethiopians. By J. T. Bent. 



(London: Longmans, 1893.) 

 In the interesting volume before us, Mr. Bent gives us a 

 very readable account of the journey to Ethiopia which 

 he and his wife undertook in the year 1893. The work 

 contains twelve chapters by Mr. Bent, a chapter of rather 

 more than fifty pages by Prof. David Heinrich Miiller, of 

 Vienna, upon the inscriptions at Yeha and Aksum, an 

 appendix on the morphological characteristics of the 

 Abyssinians, by Dr. J. G. Garson ; and a map of the 

 country, showing Mr. Bents route. Mr. Bent's purpose 

 in visiting Ethiopia was archaeological, and he took con- 

 siderable pains to visit all the sites of ancient cities, some- 

 times even seeming to carry his life in his hands in so 

 doing. The principal sitesexaminedbyhim were Asmara, 

 Keren, Adoua, Yeha, and Aksum, and he made pilgrim- 

 ages to the famous monasteries of Bizen and Debra Sina, 

 into which last religious house Mrs. Bent succeeded in 

 gaining admittance by assuming male attire. Through- 

 out his travels Mr. Bent was shown the greatest courtesy 

 by the Italians, and although many parts of the country 

 were convulsed by civil war, yet under their direction 

 Mr. Bent made his way in comparative security. Mr. 

 Bent has noted many particulars of interest, and the 

 illustrations made from photographs taken by Mrs. Bent 

 give additional interest to his narrative ; but the most 

 important part of the book for the Orientalist are the 

 translations of the Himyaritic and Ethiopic texts which 

 Prof. D. H. Miiller has made from Mr. Bent's excellent 

 squeezes. These show that the Sabeans migrated into 

 Ethiopia at a much earlier date than is usually supposed, 

 and they are full of historical and archaeological interest. 

 It is true that some of the texts have been copied and 

 published before, but the new critical investigation by 

 such a competent scholar as Prof. Miiller has resulted in 

 the elucidation of many important details. If Mr. Bent's 

 book runs into a second edition, he will do well in re- 

 vising his account of the Mohammedan conquest of 

 Ethiopia to note several facts given in the account of 

 the invasion, written in Ethiopic by a monk, the text of 

 which has recently been published in Berlin by Dr. A. W. 

 Schleicher, entitled " Geschichteder Galla." Meanwhile 

 we thank Mr. Bent for the squeezes and the labour which 

 he undertook to obtain them. 



Era i Batacchi indipoideiiti. Viaggio di Elio Modigliani, 



publicato a cura della Societa Geografica Italiana. 



(Rome, 1892.) 



SiGNOR Modigliani communicated an account of his 



journey through Sumatra in 1890-91, to the Genoa Geo- 



NO. 1266, VOL. 49] 



graphical Congress of 1892, and it is now published in 

 book form, enriched with many excellent illustrations. 

 He describes in some detail the Battak people of Central 

 Sumatra, one of the most remarkable remnants of primi- 

 tive culture in all Asia, as they retain their own forms of 

 architecture, industry, and writing, together with their 

 primitive religion and their political independence, 

 although surrounded on every side by Mohammedan 

 tribes and Dutch supremacy. The headquarters of the 

 shrunken remnants of the Battaks is round the great lake 

 of Toba, of the western side of which Signor Modigliani 

 has made a large scale map, published in the book. The 

 scenery of this lake is very fine, and a long panoramic 

 view goes far to justify the enthusiasm of the author's 

 description. The main object of the journey was to make 

 ethnographical collections, and some excellent photo- 

 graphs of the Battak physical type are reproduced, to- 

 gether with examples of native art, architecture, and 

 industry. Incidentally a good many adventures befelthe 

 author, and these he does not minimise. While there is 

 little in these pages of real importance that has escaped 

 the careful observation of the Dutch and German 

 observers, who have made an almost exhaustive study of 

 the Battaks, the narrative is interesting, and the col- 

 lections should be very useful to students in Europe. A 

 short meterological appendix gives observations of tem- 

 perature, pressure (aneroid), humidity, and rainfall from 

 October, 1890, to April, 1891. 



Romance of the Insect World. By L. N. Badenoch, 

 (London : Macmillan and Co., 1893.) 



This is a pleasantly written little book, which contains 

 much interesting information on insect life and habit. 

 The metamorphoses of insects, their food, hermit homes, 

 social homes, defences and protection through adaptation 

 are successively considered. Although there is not much 

 evidence of individual observation, the author has been 

 careful in his selection of authorities. The book is 

 intentionally descriptive rather than explanatory, and, 

 since the descriptions are picturesque without inaccuracy, 

 may be safely recommended to those who seek, for in- 

 formation in one of the most fascinating departments of 

 natural history. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 

 pressed by Ids correspondents. Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to correspond with the writers of, rejected 

 manuscripts intended for this or any other part <?/ NATURE, 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications.'] 



The Postal Transmission of Natural History 

 Specimens. 



In Nature for November 30, 1893, p. 100, appeared a cir- 

 cular, issued by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, concerning the transmission of specimens of natural 

 history by mail between different countries. This circular 

 asked scientific bodies in certain countries therein named to re- 

 quest their respective Governments to favourably reconsider a 

 proposition, made by the United States Post Office, to admit 

 such specimens to the international mails under the rates for 

 "samples of merchandise," this proposition having been once 

 rejected by those countries. 



In commenting upon this circular, Mr. R. McLachlan repro- 

 duces (Nature, December 21, 1893, P- '72) a. letter from the 

 Secretary of the British Post Office, dated April 13, 1891, in 

 which the Secretary promised that the British Post Office would 

 not, in the future, stop scientific specimens sent by sample post 

 and addressed to places abroad, but added that the delivery of 

 such specimens abroad could not be guaranteed, for the reason 

 that such specimens "do not come within the definition of 

 sample packets as prescribed by the Postal Union." Mr. 

 McLachlan adds that within the last month he had, "on two 

 occasions, sent specimens abroad by sample post with per- 



