September 



1911J 



NATURE 



339 



culture, now so often found non-correlative, Dr. Boas does 

 not consider that we are justified in assuming that in 

 primitive communities these three phenomena were neces- 

 sarily more closely associated than they are now. He 

 recognises that mankind cannot be classified by any one of 

 these factors alone. 



In a section on the characteristics of language, Dr. Boas 

 has an important chapter on phonetics generally, and dis- 

 Msses the way in which languages differ in expressing 

 groups of ideas by the grouping of phonetic elements. He 

 takes the sentence as the natural unit for the expression 

 ot an idea, and discusses the sentence and its components 

 — words or particles, stems or affixes — especially with 

 regard to the American languages. In these, owing to the 

 close association of the phonetic elements in a sentence, it 

 is not easy clearly to define the terms " word " and 

 " sentence. 



In dealing with grammar, Dr. Boas illustrates by means 

 of American languages the nominal categories of gender, 

 plurality, case and tense, and the personal and demon- 

 strative pronouns and verb. This leads to the conclusion 

 that in placing a language, phonetics, vocabulary, and 

 grammatical concepts must each be considered. 



In a section on classification the author deals with com- 

 parison, mutual influence, the origin of similarities by dis- 

 semination or parallel development, and the influence of 

 environment and common psychic traits. Then follows a 

 very practical section on the importance of linguistics as a 

 means, as well as a part, of ethnological studies. 



The introduction finally deals with the characteristics of 

 American languages. Dr. Boas does not agree that all 

 these are polysynthetic or incorporating, but points out their 

 common features. He gives a list of fifty-five linguistic 

 families which may be distinguished in North America 

 north of Mexico. 



The larger portion of the volume specially appeals to 

 the student of American linguistics. It contains ten 

 grammars of typical languages, each dealt with by a 

 specialist in the group to which it belongs. Thus Dr. P. E. 

 Goddard deals with Athapascan (Hupa), Dr. J. R. Swanton 

 with Tlingit and Haida, and in collaboration with the 

 editor with the Siouan (Dakota). Dr. Boas himself is 

 responsible for the Tsimshian, Kwakiutl, and Chinook 

 languages, Dr. R. B. Dixon for the Maidu, Dr. W. 

 Thalbitzer for the Eskimo, whilst the Algonquian (Fox) is 

 thf; joint work of Dr. W. Jones and Dr. Truman 

 .Michelsen. These works form an excellent preliminary to 

 the detailed study of the several groups. A general plan 

 of presentation is followed in the grammars, modified, 

 however, by the characteristic morphology of the language 

 discussed. Each and all of them will serve as models for 

 future students. 



In congratulating the Bureau of American Ethnology and 

 the editor and writers of the present volume on such an 

 excellent account of the languages, one regrets to find 

 that several of the grammars deal with languages which 

 are largely spoken in Canada, and that neither the British 

 Government nor universities have any place for similar 

 detailed studies of the native languages of the Empire. 

 When will any of these provide for the student such matter 

 for study as is to be found in the systematic issue of the 

 instructive and interesting volumes of the American 

 Bureau or in the valuable collections of native texts pub- 

 lished by such institutions as the Universities of California 

 or Columbia? Sidney H. Ray. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Mr. G. E. Nicholls, of the zoological department of 

 King's College, London, has been appointed professor of 

 biology at Agra College, University of Allahabad. 



The chemical laboratories of the Athens University were 

 destroyed by fire on August 2S. A Times correspondent 

 estimates the damage at So.oooZ. 



It is announced in The Popular Science Monthly that 

 Prof. L. H. Bailey has tendered his resignation of the 

 directorship of the New York College of Agriculture to the 

 trustees of Cornell University. 



An offer by Mr. Andrew Carnegie to erect at a cost of 

 i5,oooi. three suburban branch libraries in Manchester 

 has been accepted by the Manchester Library Committee. 

 The offer is to be considered at the next meeting ui the 

 City Council. 



At the furthcoming celebration of the quincentenary of 

 the foundation of St. Andrews University, the honorary 

 degree of LL.D. will be conferred upon the following men 

 of science :— Sir T. Clifford Allbutt, K.C.B., F.R.S.; Sir 

 Thomas Barlow, Bart., K.C.V.O., F.R.S. ; Prof. A. Cum 

 Brown, F.R.S. ; Major 1'. A. MacMahon, F.R.S. ; Prof. 

 R. Meldola, F.R.S.; Prof. W. H. Perkin, F.R.S.; Prof. 

 W. J. Pope, F.R.S.; Lieut.-Colonel D. Prain, C.I.E., 

 F.R.S.; Prof. R. Saundby ; Prof. Sir J. J. Thomson, 

 F.R.S. 



The London Inter-Collegiate Scholarships Board 

 announce that combined examinations in anatomy and 

 physiology, and in arts and preliminary scientific subjects, 

 will be held on Tuesday, September 19, for Medical 

 Entrance Scholarships and Exhibitions of an aggregate 

 total value of more than 17001., tenable at University 

 College, King's College, and in the Medical Schools of 

 Westminster Hospital, St. George's Hospital, London 

 School of Medicine for Women, University College 

 Hospital, and King's College Hospital. Particulars and 

 entry forms may be obtained from the deans of the re- 

 spective medical schools, or from the secretary of the 

 Board, Mr. A. E. G. Attoe, University College, Gower 

 Street. 



A circular letter (No. 24) prescribing new regulations 

 for the Royal Navy Medical Service has been issued by 

 the Admiralty. The changes in the organisation and con- 

 ditions of service take effect, where not already in opera- 

 tion, as from July 1, 191 1, except when otherwise stated 

 in the letter. It being considered essential for the scien- 

 tific development of the Naval Medical Service that it 

 shall possess a School of Medical Instruction and Research 

 situated in the vicinity of London, where it will be in 

 touch with the principal civil medical schools and with 

 the Army Medical School at Millbank, it has been decided 

 to establish a Naval Medical School at the Royal Naval 

 College, Greenwich, in close proximity to the " Dread- 

 nought " Seamen's Hospital and the London School of 

 Tropical Medicine, and in a position, therefore, to carry 

 out its educational and scientific work in close connection 

 with those establishments. There are already in existence 

 at Greenwich excellent chemical and physical laboratories, 

 and the additional laboratories required for medical re- 

 search will be provided in the college buildings and 

 furnished with the necessary equipment and scientific 

 apparatus. There will be specially appointed to the 

 Naval Medical School as the nucleus of the instruc- 

 tional staff a professor of bacteriology and clinical 

 pathology, and a professor of hygiene. When the struc- 

 tural alterations in that part of the building which has 

 been selected for the purpose have been completed and the 

 school is ready for use, a proportion of the instructional 

 work now carried out at Haslar will be transferred to 

 Greenwich, and such of the instructional staff and equip- 

 ment as may be considered advisable will be removed to 

 that establishment. It is not proposed, however, that the 

 laboratory at Haslar shall be dismantled. A certain 

 amount of instructional work must still be carried out at 

 that establishment, and at least one medical officer will 

 be retained there for the instruction of acting surgeons. 

 When the Medical School at Greenwich is opened, the 

 first two months of the course for naval surgeons will be 

 passed at that establishment, this period being devoted to 

 the study of tropical medicine, bacteriology and_ clinical 

 pathology, hygiene, and skiagraphy. The remaining four 

 months will be passed at Haslar, as at present. 



The technical colleges throughout the country are now 

 issuing new prospectuses giving details of the courses _ of 

 work which have been arranged for the forthcoming 

 session. The prospectus of the Municipal Technical Insti- 

 tute, Belfast, for example, is a volume of 350 pages, pro- 

 vided with excellent illustrations of the laboratories, work- 



NO. 2184, VOL. 87] 



