February 23, 1899] 



NA TURE 



589 



as "creation-myths." They do not give any systematised 

 account of the origin of the universe, but in the form of 

 tales describe the changes and metamorphoses by which 

 the present world arose from a very similar one already 

 in existence. According to this theory of creation there 

 were people already in existence before the present race 

 of men ithat is of Indians) inhabited the earth. These 

 first people were very numerous, and lived happily 

 in a golden age through untold periods of time ; they 

 were in a sense divinities. .At length disorder was 

 introduced, and from the conflicts that resulted the pre- 

 sent world arose. The creation-myths recount the 

 methods by which this older world was changed into 

 the w^orld now e.xisting. The changes were generally 

 efiected by struggle between hostile personages, one 

 hero, perhaps, overcoming many opponents, and changing 

 each into some beast, bird, plant or insect, the resultant 

 beast or thing always corresponding in some power or 

 quality with the personage from which it had been 

 changed. Such conceptions are not peculiar to Wintu 

 and Yana belief, but run through the traditions of most 

 Indian tribes. We do net, however, agree with Mr. 

 Curtin in thinking that similar traditions lie at the back 

 of all the mythologies of the ancient world. 



There is one slight defect in the general plan of the book 

 that calls for notice, though it is, perhaps, due to the 

 lather unusual circumstances which attended its birth. 

 On opening the volume, a glance at the type and paper 

 would suggest that the book was a novel or a collec- 

 tion of short stories ; and, though a writer may make 

 use of what type he likes so long as it is legible, in 

 this instance Mr. Curtin's selection serves to indicate 

 the spirit in which he has approached his work. He 

 has, in fact, attempted to treat these legends from a 

 literary rather than from a scientific standpoint, and it 

 cannot be said that the result is altogether satisfactory. 

 As might be expected, these stories, judged on their own 

 merits as stories, are entirely lacking in interest, and 

 their only value consists in the new material they ofter to 

 the student of folk-lore and comparative religion. i\Ir. 

 Curtin, however, does not seem to be writing for such a 

 reader. It is true th.it at the end some notes are added, 

 but they omit a great deal of information necessary to 

 any scientific collection of this class. For instance, no 

 details are given as to the sources from which Mr. 

 Curtin obtained the legends that he prints. We should 

 like to know whether they were composed in their pre- 

 sent form by Mr. Curtin himself from materials supplied 

 at different times by several members of a tribe ; or 

 whether they are translations of actual stories told to 

 him, and taken down by him at the time. We cannot 

 help thinking that if full information on such points had 

 been added, the scientific value of the book would have 

 been considerably increased. 



Andrew J 

 vii 4- 26^ 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Alt Illustrated School GcOi^raphy. By 

 Herbertson, F.R.S.E., F.R.G.S. Pp. 

 (London : Edward Arnold, 1898.) 

 It would be difficult to produce a more elaborately and 

 attractively illustrated volume of geography than that 

 which Mr. Herbertson has constructed upon the basis of 

 NO. 1530, VOL. 59] 



Mr. F" rye's " Complete (ieography," published in the 

 United States three years ago. Every one of the quarto 

 pages contains a pleasing collection of pictures, many of 

 them striking and all of them instructive, and at the end 

 of the volume are si.xteen pages of coloured physical and 

 political maps. The volume is thus a text-book, a picture- 

 book, and an atlas combined ; and for teachers who con- 

 sider that books constituted in this way should be used 

 in teaching geography, no better volume is available. 



The work might be called a picture-book of geography ; 

 for the illustrations take up nearly as much room as the 

 text. The pictures will show the young students who 

 open the book what a large number of interesting people, 

 places and things there are in the world, and will thus 

 create a desire to read the text to learn something about 

 the subjects illustrated. Let a pupil get the idea that 

 geography consists mainly of definitions and statistics, 

 and you will have a difficulty in ever making him believe 

 that there is anything interesting in the study of the 

 earth. But by introducing him to the subject through 

 such an attractive means as Mr. Herbertson's volume 

 affiirds, attention is at once secured. 



The plan of the volume is as follows : After an intro- 

 duction comes a section dealing with general geography, 

 and including the principles of physical geography ; bio- 

 geography, or the distribution of plants and animals ; and 

 the geography of mankind. In the second part, the 

 special geography of the various countries of the earth is 

 dealt with, beginning witli the British Isles. It is in- 

 tended that after the different aspects of geography re- 

 ferred to have been studied in a general way, the special 

 geography of particular countries shall be considered, so 

 that the principles taught by the first part shall be applied 

 to the parts of the world studied in the second part. 

 Teachers who think that principles should be deduced 

 by pupils from facts will be able to begin at once with the 

 special geography, and will introduce the generalisations 

 where required. Whichever method is adopted, a truly 

 educational course will be obtained ; for the knowledge 

 gained will show that many everyday phenomena of 

 nature belong to geography, and carry instruction with 

 them. 



Notes on Cage Birds (Second series) ; or, Practical Hints 

 on the Manai^einent of British and Foreign Cage Birds, 

 Hybrids, and Canaries. Edited by W. T. Greene. 

 Pp. xii -I- 340. (London : L. Upcott Gill, 1898.) 

 In spite of all that has been and will be said and written 

 against it, the practice of keeping birds in confinement 

 is so popular and so wide-spread, that there is no chance 

 of its coming to an end. This being so, it is all-important 

 that everything possible to alleviate the tedium of their 

 confinement, and to preserve them in the best health, 

 should be done for the captives. And as this is one of 

 the oljjects of the little book before us, it may be com- 

 mended to all bird-fanciers. Still, it is rather sad to read 

 that "once a bird has lived in a cage or aviary for a time 

 it is unfitted for a life of freedom, and usually quickly 

 dies if permitted to fly away." 



The book consists of a series of extracts from The 

 Bazaar, written by various bird-fanciers since 1882, which 

 have been classified and arranged by Dr. Greene ; whose 

 known experience affi)rds sufficient guarantee for the 

 selection. To an outsider, it is almost marvellous to 

 note the number of species apparently ill-suited for 

 captivity which have been made to thrive, and frequently 

 even to breed, in this condition. And it is also satis- 

 factory to learn that it is one of the objects of the "fancy" 

 to endeavour to protect our natixe birds ; especially 

 species, like the starling, which are undoubtedly bene- 

 ficial. 



The appearance of the book is sadly marred by the 

 introduction of hideous advertisements on the back of the 

 title-page, &c. ; but in other respects it is well and 

 attractively got-up. R. L. 



