78 
NATOTLE 
[ NOVEMBER 22, 1906 
temperature and pressure changes are also considered 
and the usual formule deduced. Then follows, in 
lecture v., the investigation to a first approximation 
of mixtures of two fluids, leading to the discussion 
of fusion and solubility curves. Finally, in lecture vi., 
vaporisation curves and the theory of the galvanic 
cell fall to be considered. The same fundamental 
method is used throughout, the thermodynamic poten- 
tial being first formulated, and then by differentiation 
the quantity known as the molecular potential. De- 
tailed examples elucidate the method; and there is 
no doubt that (to paraphrase his own words) the 
author has demonstrated, not only the great use of 
the thermodynamic potential, but also the ease with 
which it can be manipulated. Dr. van Laar has 
placed in the hands of the student of thermodynamics 
a well-written and serviceable pamphlet. 
The Family. By Helen Bosanquet. Pp. viit344. 
(London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1906.) Price 
8s. 6d. net. 
Tue ‘‘ Family ’’ is a subject of far greater extent than 
most persons may think. Its importance to society is 
enormous, though, ‘like the air we breathe, it attracts 
little attention. The variety in the constitution of 
family life in different places and at different times is 
extraordinary. Its peculiarity in any given case is 
the result of many influences, including long-stand- 
ing tradition, economic causes, natural instincts, and 
legislation on succession of property. The author 
has given a valuable résumé of facts and opinions 
derived from more than thirty writers of note, and 
she has blended them into a pleasant and _ read- 
able volume which will open out new and wide vistas 
of interest to most of those who study it. She says 
that the history of the Family “is a great work wait- 
ing for a great scholar.’’ It is no disparagement to 
this book to add that she speaks truly; only it seems 
to the writer of this notice that a still more important 
requisite than scholarship is a more enlightened 
statistical treatment of the subject than it has for 
the most part yet received. 
One of the many of these desiderata is an exact 
analysis of the effects of different forms of the Family 
on the eventual well-being of the race. These have 
a strong influence on the marriages or on the celibacy 
of its members. The influence of the Family inclusive 
of religion, in France, is such that in the year 1900, 
as stated, no less than sixty-four thousand women 
were immured for life within convent walls. Some 
forms of family life may be found to exert a consider- 
able eugenic effect on the nation, others the contrary ; 
how far has yet to be investigated. In the view of the 
author the power of the Family is not decaying 
in England. She thinks it has developed in a changed 
direction, through replacing a slavish submission to 
the head of the family by feelings of willing loyalty. 
The proved habit of the artisan class to contribute to 
the well-being of the Family is to her an evidence 
of the strength of the bonds that still unite its mem- 
bers. In conclusion, it should be said that this volume 
contains occasional passages of rare eloquence, such 
as those in p. 160 and onwards, on the very real 
and spiritual entity of the Family. F. G. 
The Evolution of Man: a Popular Scientific Study. 
By Ernst Haeckel. Translated from the fifth 
(enlarged) edition by Joseph McCabe. Two vols. 
in one. Pp. xiv+364. (London: 
1906.) Price 2s. net. 
A TRANSLATION of the fifth edition of Haeckel’s famous 
book is now procurable for two shillings! It is true 
that the text has been somewhat condensed, and that 
the beautiful plates of the complete edition have had 
NO. 1934, VOL. 75 | 
Watts and Co., 
to be omitted, but the gist of the matter is here, and is 
illustrated by more than four hundred figures. More- 
over, a library edition of the complete work is also 
available to English readers. As is well known, the 
first half of the book contains a general account of 
the development of vertebrates, and of man in par- 
ticular, while the second half discusses the chief 
phyletic stages from protists to man, and the gradu- 
ally increasing differentiation of the various organs 
and systems. There is a great deal of embryology 
and comparative anatomy in the book, but there is 
very little etiology, and the English title ‘‘ The 
Evolution of Man’”’ is rather misleading. The 
original title was ‘‘ Anthropogenie.’’ Many parts of 
the book, e.g. those dealing with the development of 
the foetal membranes and of the excretory system, are 
very technical and difficult; serious students of biology 
will find these intricate subjects more clearly discussed 
elsewhere, and we do not think that other readers 
will understand them. The translation bristles with 
mistakes, some of which show that even the translator 
has not always understood his text. The kind of 
mistake we allude to is translating ‘‘ Rest der 
Chorda’’ as ‘‘rest of the chorda,’’ and ‘* Zungen- 
bogen ”’ as ‘‘ hyaloid bone.”’ 
Untravelled England. By James John Hissey. Pp. 
xviii+4s9. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 
1906.) Price 16s. 
Tue author describes how he set forth in search of 
unfrequented spots in his own country, and goes on 
to provide a pleasing and quietly entertaining account 
of the out-of-the-way places he visited. The start 
from Eastbourne in a motor car does not, it must be 
confessed, encourage the reader to expect much in 
the way of romance; but the motor car, because of 
its persistently satisfactory conduct, does not obtrude 
itself into the narrative. There is no attempt at 
“fine ’? writing, yet the author succeeds in maintain- 
ing the reader’s interest in the English and Welsh 
villages passed through, and in conveying a pleasing 
impression of the characters of the natives encoun- 
tered. The volume is illustrated by twenty-four half- 
tone reproductions from photographs taken by Mr. 
Hissey on the journey. 
LETTERS TO” THE EDITOR: 
[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions 
expressed by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake 
to return, or to correspond with the writers of, rejected 
manuscripts intended for this or any other part of NATURE. 
No notice is taken of anonymous communications.] 
A Japanese Singing Kettle. 
THE town of Morioka is well known for the manufacture 
of the iron kettle which is indispensable in every Japanese 
household. There exist numerous forms of kettle; several 
dozen shapes may be counted in a single shop, but the 
most frequently occurring forms are cylindrical, pear- 
shaped, and spherical. The kettle is used for boiling water 
by means of charcoal fire for making tea. On approaching 
boiling point, some of these kettles begin to sing with 
quavering sound, which is a combination of different notes, 
peculiar to the form and size of the kettle. 
There are several arrangements for producing sound, of 
which the following will indicate the manner in which 
the vibrations are produced. Inside the kettle, the bottom 
is nearly flat. On this four pieces of sheet iron, 15 mm. 
sq. and o-4 mm. thick, are glued by means of Japan lac 
(urusht), which can well withstand the temperature of 
boiling water. Between the bottom and the plates is an 
air space nearly 4 mm. thick. The plates are nearly in 
a plane, and almost touch each other, leaving thin slits 
between them. When the kettle is full the cell is under 
the water, and some air remains in the cell between the 
