‘solution. 
NOVEMBER 27, 1913] 
NATURE 369 
re) 
incidence might well have been illustrated by the 
reproduction of a curve showing this variation 
for some common type of aéroplane wing, giving 
instructive. information as to the limits within 
which the simple law may be taken to hold. 
Other similar experimental results available at 
the time the volume was written might well have 
been made use of. 
Part IJ. of the work is devoted to consideration 
of the equilibrium and stability of the aéroplane in 
still air. These two questions of equilibrium and 
stability are not kept as distinct as they should 
be, and we fear some confusion in the mind of 
the reader must necessarily result. The ideas put 
forward on the subject of stability are of interest, 
but the experimental basis is, of course, too 
slender for any satisfactory examination into this 
question, which cannot be dealt with in so elemen- 
tary a manner. 
The merits of the original work of Captain 
Duchéne are well preserved by the translators, 
both of whom, from their intimate association, 
both practical and literary, with aéronautics, have 
Special qualifications for their task. The lucidity | 
and terseness of the French are reproduced in the 
English version, and the choice of equivalents for 
technical terms is particularly happy. 
OUR BOOKSHELF, 
The Archaeology of the Anglo-Saxon Settlements. 
By E. Thurlow Leeds. Pp. 144. (Oxford: 
Clarendon Press, 1913.) Price 5s. net. 
Tuis book is suggestive, in the sense that while 
it raises many interesting problems, the material 
at present available does not admit their complete 
Dealing with a period of about 200 
years, from the first coming of the Saxon invaders 
down to the cessation of the evidence furnished 
by the pagan interments, Mr. Leeds attempts, 
from a survey of the archzological remains, to 
supplement and correct the literary record. These 
historical sources are admittedly much later than 
the events of the early invasions which they profess 
to) record—Prosper Tiro, Gildas, Procopius, and 
Zozimus belonging to the fifth and sixth centuries, 
followed by Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 
Mr. Leeds’ method is to study the remains dis- 
covered in interments both in Great Britain and 
on the Continent, and to discuss their bearing on 
the historical record. The chief difficulty lies in 
the comparative scarcity of remains in the period 
which he is investigating, and, in the case of 
objects of art, like jewelry and metal-work, of 
discriminating between objects which may have 
passed from one tribe to another in the course of 
‘trade, and those which can with certainty be attri- 
‘buted to certain races or areas. 
_ the marks of rigid compression. 
Narrative, a larger amount of illustration, better 
The book bears 
A more extended 
maps, and occasional summaries of conclusions, 
NO. 2300, VOL. 92] 
, would make it easier reading. 
| restricted to some specific point. 
It may be hoped 
that he will be encouraged to treat the subject in 
more detail, and that the publication of the book 
will lead to more active search for remains of the 
Anglo-Saxon pagan age. 
Even with these reservations, the book is a 
useful contribution to archeology. In some cases, 
as regards the early history of the West Saxons 
and the occupation of the Isle of Wight, the 
evidence of archeology is in direct conflict with 
current history. Among many intersting conclu- 
sions we may note that the distribution of the 
early settlements is based on the English river- 
system, and that the invaders avoided Roman 
| roads and cities, partly with deliberate strategical 
| intent, partly from a desire to place water between 
them and the ghosts. supposed to haunt places 
destroyed by fire and sword. The female inter- 
ments, as might have been expected, provide more 
interesting remains, in the form of jewelry and 
other ornaments, than those of males. 
On the whole, the book is a valuable contribu- 
tion to the early history of these islands, and its 
conclusions will deserve the serious consideration 
of future writers on this obscure period. 
The Romance of Scientific Discovery. By C. R. 
Gibson. Pp. 318+plates. (London: Seeley, 
Service, and Co., Ltd., 1914.) Price 5s. 
Tue title of this book covers an extremely large 
field, and anyone who attempts to deal with the 
manifold discoveries in so many branches of 
science undertakes a difficult task. In spite, how- 
ever, of the many pitfalls, the author of this 
work has been fortunate in avoiding them. Mr. 
Gibson is a well-known writer of popular and non- 
technical works, and the present volume brings 
out his faculty of stating facts clearly and making 
the subjects he deals with interesting. To write 
about the romance of scientific discovery success- 
fully must necessarily indicate that the author is 
well versed in the literature of many sciences, and 
that this is the case is shown by a perusal of 
the present volume. He has nevertheless taken the 
opportunity of consulting his many scientific 
friends who have read in manuscript the particular 
portions which deal with their special subjects. 
The subjects dealt with are most varied, and 
are treated in twenty-three chapters, each 
To mention a 
few, there are essays on discoveries concerning our 
| planet, how the crust of the earth was formed, 
living creatures of past .ages, microbes, dis- 
coveries in botany, chemistry, electricity, &c., and 
discoveries concerning the universe. Care has 
been taken not to burden the reader with a host 
of names and. dates, and an appendix is given 
in which further details are mentioned and can 
be referred to if needed. A capital index is given, 
and the book is well illustrated with numerous 
excellent plates. The frontispiece illustrates the 
larve refracting telescope at Treptow, near Berlin, 
and is described as the largest telescope in the 
world. The actual largest refractor in the world 
is that at the Yerkes Observatory, in the United 
States. 
