June 8, 1899] 
NATURE 
LESS) 
THE absence of palolithic implements from Scotland has 
been explained by glacial conditions or the submergence of the 
country. Neither of these explanations seems to the Rev. F. 
Smith to be adequate, for during part at least of the period in 
question (as during the deposition of the Cyrvena fluminalis 
beds) the climate of Britain was warmer than it is now, and the 
geographical occurrence of paleolithic remains in England and 
France evidence the period to have been that of great upheaval, 
and it is improbable that Scotland was then submerged. He 
finds (Proc. Philosoph. Soc., Glasgow, 1899) a more sufficient 
explanation in the suggestion that the searchers were looking for 
the wrong thing. The ordinary types being flints, flint speci- 
mens were sought in Scotland ; but no flint exists 27 sz¢z in 
Scotland. Either paleeolithic man was limited in his habitat to 
the geographical occurrence of flint, or that such specimens as 
might exist in Scotland would be fashioned of the rocks native to 
the country, and would be lacking in the peculiar characteristics 
of flaked flint. The first assumption is probably erroneous, so 
Mr. Smith has spent many years to an investigation of the 
alternative proposition. Under analogous conditions to those 
which obtain in the Somme Valley, he has found in the valleys 
of the Forth, Tay, Earn, Allan, Dee and Don, and in the Clyde 
Estuary, stones of quartzite, basalt, and various igneous rocks 
which certainly bear a superficial resemblance to well-known 
palzolithic types. The author acknowledges that these stones 
can only be fully appreciated by being handled, and that his 
illustrations do not do them justice. The author’s contention 
is certainly tenable, but the evidence of the specimens can only 
be gauged by actual inspection. 
THE origin of religion has long been a difficult problem, and 
is likely to remain obscure for some time yet. The germ, 
according to Tylor, lies in the belief in spiritual beings ; Lippert 
finds it in the worship of the soul. Herbert Spencer has stated 
that ancestor worship is the root of every religion, and again 
that there is strong warrant for the inference that ghost-propiti- 
ation is the origin of all religions. C. L. Henning attempts in 
The American Anthropologist (vol. xi. p. 373) to solve the 
question from quite another standpoint. All the investigators 
in this field, without exception, have neglected one principal 
factor in their respective researches—the economic conditions. 
Primitive man had no religion ; this was the product of much 
later times, and did not arise froma so-called ‘ religious senti- 
ment.’’ A system of social virtues, or in other words a primitive 
social morality, was early developed owing to men being 
united in hordes ; but this has nothing to do with religious per- 
ceptions. A man who during his life ameliorated the economic 
conditions of his tribal companions was not forgotten after his 
death ; of this there are innumerable past and present examples. 
Such men after their death became heroes or benefactors of their 
respective tribes. The veneration they enjoyed during life 
changed after their death into ancestor worship, and later on 
into soul worship; the two latter forms of worship are the 
beginning of the historical evolution of religion. 
THE Geology and Agriculture of the Department of the 
Lozére, in the south of France, forms the subject of an elab- 
orate article by M. Ernest Cord (Bud/. de la Soc. a’ Encouragement 
pour I Industrie Nationale, Paris). In the second part of his 
work, published in April, the author gives an account of the 
Triassic and Liassic strata. The Trias, which consists mostly 
of sandstones and conglomerates, with some argillaceous layers, 
occupies small tracts of woodland with fine chesnut-trees and 
much oak coppice. The central plateau of the Lozére, consist- 
ing of gneiss, mica schist, and granite, is bordered by Jurassic 
rocks which formerly overspread this group of ancient rocks. 
From the Rheetic Beds to the Upper Lias the various stages are 
well represented. Much of the soil on the Rheetic formation 
NO. 1545, VOL. 60] 
is a kind of arkose, derived from granitic débris in the strata, 
and it is dry and sandy; nevertheless there are calcareous in- 
gredients, and the beech flourishes. The higher portions of the 
‘*Infra-Lias ” and the Lias proper consist mainly of limestones, 
marls and clays, and they form a rich agricultural district— 
cereals, vegetables and fruit being cultivated. Attention is 
directed to the magnesian limestones, which form striking fea- 
tures in the upper part of the ‘‘Infra-Lias.” These limestones 
are much fissured, and the streams in many instances pass under- 
ground and reappear at lower levels. Several illustrations of 
these swallet-holes are given. The magnesian waters have an 
injurious effect on those who are accustomed to drink them, 
and it is noted that goitre is met with among the residents in 
these districts. 
IN the Verhandlungen der k. k. geol. Reitchsanstalt, No. 2, 
1899, some results of recent geological work in southern Dalmatia 
are described by G. Bukowski. In the region examined, the 
tectonic relations were found to be of a very complex character, 
and overfolding and overthrusting have occurred upon an enor- 
mous scale. This may be well understood when it is said that 
the Hallstadt limestones, forming the base of the series observed, 
are overlain by Cretaceous and older Tertiary rocks, to be fol- 
lowed in turn by Triassic Dachstein-limestone. In places, the 
Tertiary beds have become completely squeezed out, in which 
case the Dachsteinkalk rests directly upon the Cretaceous lime- 
stones. In the region of southern Pastrovicchio, the upper beds 
of the D¢plofora-limestone have yielded a brachiopod-fauna 
peculiar for its richness in species and individuals of Spzrégera. 
In the upper Triassic limestones, a marked change of facies is 
apparent. The tufaceous complex of the Dzurmani-beds is 
overlain by rocks having a Hallstadt cephalopod-facies, which 
yields in turn, in the higher beds, to a coral-reef facies. 
To the Verhandlungen der h. kh. geol. Reichsanstalt, No. 3, 
1899, Dr. J. J. Jahn contributes a short paper on the occurrence 
of moldavite (bouteillenstein) in the pyrope-bearing sands (early 
Diluvial) of northern Bohemia. After describing specimens 
found at localities west of Trebnitz, the author gives a summary 
of the results of experiments carried out by Herr Jos. Bares, 
who has investigated the behaviour of moldavite when subjected 
to very high temperatures, with a view to clearing up the ques- 
tion of its origin. From a comparison of the chemical com- 
position and physical properties of serpentine and moldavite, 
the hypothesis that the latter has had its origin in the former, 
as held by Helmhacker, derives no support whatever. By 
experiments carried out with various kinds of glass, and a com- 
parison of the behaviour of these and of moldavite at temper- 
atures ranging up to 1400 C., as also by a comparison of the 
chemical composition of the respective substances, Bare’ obtains 
strong evidence against the correctness of the theory that 
bouteillenstein is an artificial product of glass manufacture. 
Further experiments refute also the hypothesis that moldavite 
may have been produced, by the aid of volcanic activity, from 
felspar-bearing rock rich in silica. From a consideration of the 
form and surface structure of the various specimens, and their 
behaviour under the highest temperatures, Herr Bare’ agrees 
with Dr. F. E. Suess in recognising the probability of a cosmic 
origin. 
Tue May number of the Zoo/ogist contains a very interesting 
account by Mr. Cronwright Schreiner on the recent extraordinary 
“trek ’’ of Springbuck in the Cape Colony. The vast number 
in which these antelopes migrated in former years is a familiar 
fact ; but in recent times they were believed to have ceased for 
ever. All the more remarkable, therefore, is it to hear of the 
great “trek” which occurred in July 1896. On the occasion 
when he saw the largest herd, Mr. Schreiner believes that there 
