July 6, 191 6] 



NATURE 



379 



The present authors have the requisite experience 

 on which to draw, and a knack of using it pleas- 

 antly. They might have made larger demands on 

 our patience than they have without risk of over- 

 straining it. 



It is to be understood that anyone who rules his 

 fishing by this book surrenders himself to north- 

 country ideas. For instance, he uses lightly 

 dressed patterns, he learns to talk of "bloas," he 

 renounces such tried favourites as the "blue up- 

 right " or the "coch y bonddu," becomes, in short, 

 wedded to a particular convention. He might 

 have to contract a similar alliance in other dis- 

 tricts — in the Lake country, where they have 

 "bleas," among the "bumbles" of Derbyshire, 

 or when taking to the "half-stones " and 

 " pheasant-tails " of the West. 



Probably there is little loss of eflSciency involved 

 in such a surrender, but it is not wholly satis- 

 factory for all that. A consideration of the 

 various local conventions of pattern induces the 

 reflection that there is a good deal of unnecessary 

 confusion, some waste of effort, and some sacrifice 

 of intelligence caused by the present system of 

 local "water-tight compartments." Roughly, the 

 insect life of all wet-fly streams is the same, w'hat- 

 ever their district. Roughly, also, the intentions 

 of all local fly-tiers are the same, to imitate those 

 insects. But local nomenclature and idiom have 

 largely obscured this. It would be a valuable, 

 and we should say an extremely interesting, task 

 for some competent fly-dresser and angler to col- 

 late all the local patterns, to select the best imita- 

 tions without respect of districts, qnd to attempt 

 a standardisation of wet flies which should include 

 whatever is most worth having. Ronalds, of 

 course, did something of the kind, and did it very 

 well, but that was a long time ago. Since then 

 we have had Mr. Halford's invaluable work on 

 chalk-stream flies, and Mr. Skues's revelations 

 on nymphs. So there are more data for such a 

 work as is suggested. 



GERUAl^Y AND RACIAL CHARACTERS. 

 The Germans: (i) The Teutonic Gospel of Race: 

 (2) The Old Germany and the New. By J. M. 

 Robertson. Pp. viii + 291. (London : Williams 

 and Norgate, 1916.) Price ys. 6d. 



IN the first part of his book Mr. Robertson gives 

 an admirable and timely exposition of the 

 crude falsity of certain current doctrines of race. 

 The much^used "Aryan," if understood ethnologic- 

 ally, is almost meaningless; all that we know is 

 that certain peoples speak Aryan languages. We 

 do not know that those peoples, e.g., in Europe, 

 are the descendants of the invaders who brought 

 the original Aryan speech. Similarly with skull- 

 measurement. Many writers have claimed a 

 generic superiority for the long-headed type — 

 which, according to Gobineau, is that of the 

 Teuton warrior — regardless of insuperable diffi- 

 culties. For example, the Swedes are dolicho- 

 cephalic, and they are not a leading nation ; 

 worse still, it is found that their best individuals 

 are less dolichocephalic than the average. And 

 XO. 2436, VOL. 97] 



dolichocephaly is characteristic of the negro, the 

 Eskimo, and the gorilla. Equally fallacious is 

 the Germans' claim that their ancestors were 

 exceptional in their considerate treatment of 

 women ; Plutarch proves that the Ligiirians ex- 

 celled them, as the North American Indians did 

 later on. Indeed, all talk about "Germanic" 

 virtues is absurd if its aim is to glorify Germany ; 

 for East Germany is partly Slav, and Belgium ana 

 North-east France are ethnologically more Ger- 

 manic than Bavaria. 



Part ii. traces the process by which the Ger- 

 many of Kant and Herder and Goethe became 

 the Germany of Treitschke, Bernhardi, and the 

 author of "The Hymn of Hate." Mr. Robert- 

 son gives an excellent historical survey, and, 

 coming to recent times, quotes telling proofs of 

 Germany's scheming for Britain's downfall from 

 the writings of Prince von Bulow and other states- 

 men. It is clear enough now that only our 

 supremacy at sea saved us from attack in 1900. 

 The great blunder of Germany in 1914 was in 

 supposing that Britain would not fulfil her treaty 

 obligations to Belgium. Having no principles 

 herself, no recognition of international morality, 

 she expected a similar lack in others. Formerly 

 few of us could believe in her criminal attitude. 

 Now she has opened our eyes, and we see that 

 her power must be crushed before stable peace 

 in Europe can be hoped for. 



OUR BOOKSHELF. 



The Value of Science in the Smithy and Forge. 



By W. H. Cathcart. Pp. xiv -f 163. (London : 



Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1916.) Price 45. 



net. 

 This handy volume is a welcome addition to the 

 metallurgical series already issued by the same 

 publishers. It is written by a practical smith, who 

 is president of the Associated Foremen Smiths of 

 Scotland. The object is to impress upon young 

 craftsmen the value and importance of some scien- 

 tific knowledge. The earlier part of the book, or 

 about one-fourth in all, contains examples of 

 calculations relating to forgings and simple 

 mathematical and geometrical problems applied 

 to practical cases. The remaining portions of the 

 volume are those which will probably attract more 

 attention. The subjects dealt with include metal- 

 lography, heat treatment of iron and steel, the 

 chemistry of welding, and case-hardening. In these 

 subjects the author has acquired a skill which is 

 altogether exceptional in a practical smith, and he 

 writes with an enthusiasm and intimate know ledge 

 which should commend the volume to a wider circle 

 of readers than that for which it was originally 

 intended. 



Dr. Stead has contributed a short introduction 

 to the volume and has taken much interest in its 

 production. Mr. Cathcart has proved an apt pupil 

 of Dr. Stead, upon whose researches he largely 

 draws. References to the work of Rosenhain, 

 Ewing, Sauveur, and others make the account 

 more complete. It assumes some previous know- 

 ledge on the part of the young craftsman, which 



