i8o 



NATURE 



[June 



1904 



Cassowary men, for instance, are pugnacious, long- 

 legged, and good runners. 



Though marriage is strictly forbidden within the 

 totem clan, its regulation belongs to kinship rather than 

 to totemism. The phratry system, so common in Aus- 

 tralia, seems to have formerly existed. A man some- 

 times lives with his wife's people, a case apparently 

 due to circumstances which have no connection with 

 maternal descent. The custom of the levirate is known, 

 but it is not obligatory, and there is nothing to show it 

 to be a survival of polyandry. It is wrong to marry an 

 old woman. The eldest daughter is always married 

 first. Young men rub their bodies with " sweetheart 

 medicine " to attract the notice of the girls. It is the 

 universal custom for the women to propose to the men. 



The heads of dead persons are cured, painted and 

 kept by the nearest relatives. It is to be noted that no 

 worship is paid to them. Ancestor worship is un- 

 known ; the custom in question is solely due to affection. 

 One of their funeral customs is a remarkable parallel 

 to the ancient Roman practice ; persons carefully " got 

 up " to represent dead relatives dance at the burial. 



Very interesting features are presented by the customs 



of Augud.ilkula in ihe Sacred UlanJ of Pulu 



which have to do with property. There is no group or 

 clan ownership of land; every inch of ground is owned 

 by some individual. A man's property is divided at his 

 death among his children. In default of male issue, a 

 daughter may inherit. They have a system of leasing 

 their gardens. If a man wants to buy a canoe he can 

 pay by instalments with immediate possession, the 

 Times' scheme being here anticipated. 



The account of the native religion gives an impres- 

 sion of incomplete study. We are told that there is no 

 supernatural sanction for morality ; even the totems 

 are not really worshipped. We hear incidentally that 

 the natives pray to their "heroes." An analysis of 

 their habits of prayer would have been instructive. 

 More information about the chief hero, Kwoiam, would 

 have been welcome. A folk-tale speaks of the first 

 created man : is this idea borrowed from missionaries? 

 The concluding sentence of the volume is, " unless the 

 above-mentioned heroes be regarded as gods, I think 

 it can be definitelv stated that the western islanders had 

 no deities, and certainly they had no conception of a 

 Supreme God." 



NO. 1808, VOL. 70] 



We have only mentioned a few of the many facts 

 which will assist in throwing light on old problems; 

 That so much was done in so short a time speaks well 

 for the energy of the expedition. But could not the 

 hundred odd pages of folk-tales, fully reported, have 

 been reduced? .'\ precis of such seems adequate. 



The volume is a fine monument of English anthrop- 

 ology, and reflects great credit on the enterprise and 

 devotion of Dr. Haddon and his colleagues. It is by 

 such work as this that the " science of man " is 

 justified. Ernest Cr.^wley. 



PROGRESS IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. 



T T is eighteen months or more since Mr. Marconi 

 -'• succeeded in establishing wireless communication 

 across the Atlantic. On that occasion a few congratu- 

 latory messages were exchanged, a great deal was 

 written on the subject in the Press, and the more 

 timorous of cable shareholders were reported to be 

 much troubled. A little later the attempt was made 

 to demonstrate that this achievement was not merely 

 a firework display, but was capable of 

 direct commercial application ; the 

 .Marconi Co. entered into a contract to 

 supply the Times with news from 

 .\nierica by wireless telegra])hy, and 

 tor a day or so there appeared items 

 (if news in that paper under the head- 

 ing " By Marconigraph. " But after 

 a few messages something went 

 wrong, and the public were given to 

 understand that a piece of auxiliary 

 machinery had broken down. It is to 

 be presumed that this piece of 

 machinery has at length been repaired, 

 for Mr. Marconi has once again come 

 very much to the front with long- 

 distance transmission work. The 

 announcement, which we published 

 last week, that he had been successful 

 in maintaining a supply of news to the 

 Campania on her voyage across the 

 .■\tlantic with a regularitv sufficient to 

 allow of the publication of a daily 

 paper on board that vessel affords 

 evidence that he is still steadily push- 

 ing forward the practical development 

 of wireless telegraphy. \\"e have 

 repeatedly urged in these columns that 

 the real work of wireless telegraphy 

 lay in communication with ships, and it is therefore 

 a greater pleasure to record this latest development 

 than it would be to announce the reopening of Trans- 

 atlantic communication. 



The experiments on board the Campania appear to 

 have been thoroughly successful in all respects. Not 

 only was the vessel never out of touch either with one 

 or other of the three large power installations, but she 

 was also for a considerable period in touch with both 

 sides. It seems, however, that the communication 

 was only one sided; this is, of course, only what was 

 to be exjjected, but it is to be hoped that Mr. Marconi's 

 efforts will be directed to making it reciproc.il, and 

 that before long we shall hear the announcement of 

 this further success. It is stated that the other ships 

 of the Cunard line are to be installed with apparatus 

 similar to that on the Campania, and that a regular 

 news service will be established to all of them. There 

 can be no question but that this will tend very greatly 

 to enliven the voyage across the Atlantic, and that 

 in manv other respects it will be of great practical 

 utililv. 



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