456 



XA TURE 



[August 30, 1906 



been laid on the importance of electricity in connec- 

 lioii with radio-active changes. Papers by Prof. E. H. 

 Barton and J. Penzer and by Prof. W. F. Barrett were 

 taken as read in the absence of the authors. 



In the department of mathematics, Prof. A. C. Dixon 

 read a paper on expansions in products of oscillatory 

 functions, being an extension of a paper published 

 recently by the author in the Proceedings of the 

 London Mathematical Society. It deals with the 

 expansion of a function of two variables /(-i;, y) in the 

 form 22<(>„,(-v)i!/„(j), where ((> and ^ are functions of given 

 type. Prof. W. H. H. Hudson described an analytical 

 investigation of the curves traversed by a particle 

 in a cyclonic storm. The curves appear to agree 

 fairly well with observation, thus justifying the assump- 

 tions on which they are calculated. Lieut. -Colonel A. 

 Cunningham gave some new properties of certain high 

 powers of 2 called hvper-even numbers. Prof. A. R, 

 Forsyth gave an interesting account of a revised theory 

 of the solution of Lagrange's linear equation Pf-|-Qg = R. 

 He showed that the solution hitherto accepted as the most 

 general, viz. \l/~f{u,v), where u = a, v = b are any two 

 independent integrals of the equations dx/P = dylQ = dz/R, 

 is not in reality the most general, and that other solutions 

 exist which cannot be put in the usual form. Major P. A. 

 MacMahon read a paper on two new symmetric functions 

 which showed certain very interesting reciprocal relations 

 between two sets of algebraic quantities. Papers by Mr. 

 H, Hilton, on finite groups; by Prof. T. J. I'A. Brom- 

 wich, on multiple series, giving a new test for the con- 

 vergence of a double series of positive terms ; by Mr. A. R. 

 Richardson, on many-valued functions of real variables ; 

 and by Prof. Alfred Lodge, on a new method of computing 

 Bessel functions for high values of the argument, were 

 read by Dr. L. N. G. Filon in the absence of the authors. 

 The last paper was the means of the creation of a new 

 committee with a small grant for the purpose of the further 

 tabulation of Bessel functions. 



Besides these papers there were the usual reports of 

 committees, which contain much interesting matter. This 

 is especially the case with tile seismological report. Un- 

 fortunately the programme of the section was so full that 

 the reading of these and of other papers had to be cut 

 down. In order to indicate how full the programme was, 

 it may be mentioned that on the Tuesday morning meeting 

 I he section met in three departments simultaneously, as 

 well as at the same time sending representatives to two 

 other sections where joint discussions were being held. In 

 spite of this segregation the separate departments were 

 very well attended. .-Mtogether great interest was taken 

 by the committee and members of the association in making 

 the meetings a success. A. W. P. 



ANTHROPOLOGY AT THE BRITISH 

 ASSOCIATION. 

 'T'HE .Anthropological Section met this year in the 

 Victoria Hall, York, under the presidency of Mr. E. 

 Sidney Hartland. 



The president delivered his address on Thursday morn- 

 ing, -August 2, taking for his subject recent research in the 

 origin of magic and religion. After tracing the universal 

 belief held by savage peoples that objects, animate or in- 

 animate, are endued with a life and personality which is 

 not confined to any particular object, but to all alike, Mr. 

 Hartland showed how this personality was not only 

 endowed with qualities, but by virtue of these very quali- 

 ties possessed a potentiality and atmosphere of its own. 

 This potentiality is known among some tribes by the name 

 orcnda, among others by the name mana, but by v.'hat- 

 ever name it is called the idea is substantially the same. 

 In this orenda is found the root of all magic and religion. 

 " Magic is primarily an application of orenda. By his 

 orenda a man bewitches his enemy . . . causes rain or 

 sunshine . . . divines the cause of sickness and cures it, 

 raises the dead, spells out the future." His incantations 

 and spells would be useless without this. Similarly, prayer 

 is an application of orenda; in fact, this belief in a man's 

 supernatural power and the efficacy by which the super- 

 natural can be used to benefit man is the foundation of 



NO. 1922, VOL. 74] 



religion. The medicine man, shaman, or priest is merely 

 the possessor of a more powerful orenda than his neigh- 

 bour. It might be objected that this theory was upset by 

 the Australians, and especially the Arunta, who are 

 supposed to be in a state of primitive atheism ; but not one 

 of the Australian tribes is, strictly speaking, primitive, 

 and in none of them is the idea of religion entirely absent, 

 and what ideas they have are not at variance with, but 

 complementary to, the theory here suggested. 



The remainder of the morning was taken up with papers 

 on general ethnology. 



Messrs. T. A. Joyce and E. Torday communicated a 

 paper, notes on the ethnography of the Ba-Yaka. These 

 people, who live between the Inzia and Kwango rivers, 

 tributaries of the Kasai, in the Congo State, have not 

 previously been described, and the paper was consequently 

 of unusual interest and value. Their culture, which is 

 distinctly allied to the primitive West African type, proves 

 them to be closely connected with the tribes on their 

 southern and western borders. The men are small but 

 well built. They do not practise cannibalism, but eat prac- 

 tically every other kind of flesh. They are skilled in handi- 

 crafts, but they have never heard of stone implements. 

 The tribe is ruled by one paramount chief, but each village 

 is immediately governed by a petty chief. The dead are 

 buried in a sitting position, and the people believe that the 

 soul leaves the body at death and visits the living in 

 dreams. In the case of important persons it is thought 

 that the soul is transferred to the body of a large animal. 



Mr. F. W. Knocker read a paper on the aborigines of 

 Sungei Ujong, who inhabit the hills to the north and north- 

 west of Negri Sembilan, in the Malay States. The people 

 are short but well built, with thick black hair and dark 

 brown eyes. They have no birth, marriage, or death 

 ceremonies, no religion or belief in an existence after 

 death, nor do they practise any form of magic or witch- 

 craft. Their chief weapon is the blow-pipe, with poisoned 

 darts. 



In a short discussion several speakers expressed them- 

 selves as very sceptical as to the absence of religious beliefs 

 among the people, and Mr. Knocker, while stating that he 

 had made every possible inquiry, admitted that the natives 

 were extremely reticent when questioned on such matters. 



Mr. .S. S. Buckman communicated a paper on marriage 

 and mating, in which he contested the views of Mr. Lang 

 and Dr. Westermarck ; and the morning's work was con- 

 cluded by a paper on the Bushmen of Basutoland, by Mr. 

 S. S. Dornan, in which he had collected all that is at 

 present known about these interesting people. 



In the afternoon the report of the committee appointed 

 to explore the lake village at Glastonbury was taken. The 

 work on this site is now nearing its completion, and in 

 the past season a large area situated in the north-west 

 corner of the village was explored. During the exploration 

 another dwelling site, hitherto unrecognised, was brought 

 to light, bringing the total number up to eighty-three. The 

 finds were well up to the average of former years. 



Dr. A. C. Haddon then gave an illustrated lecture on 

 the ethnology of South Africa, in which he dealt chiefly 

 with the manners and customs of the tribes whom he 

 came across during the visit of the association to South 

 Africa last year. 



On Friday, August 3, the papers were generally of an 

 archiEological character. 



Major "p. Molesworth Sykes exhibited a collection of 

 bronze weapons and implements found near Khinaman, in 

 south-east Persia. The find consisted of five bowls, two 

 pins, two knives, two javelin heads, two armlets of 

 ordinary penannular form, two axe-heads, two rods with 

 curved ends, and some clay vessels. 



Notes on the collection were communicated by Canon 

 Greenwell. The objects are undoubtedly grave goods, and 

 are of the utmost interest on account of the light they 

 throw upon the early metallic culture of the country. 

 The bowls are of hammered copper, and one of them is 

 provided with a handle or spout. It is diflicuU to say 

 what the rods represent, but they may be symbols of 

 authority. The axes are the most important part of the 

 find. Thev were not weapons, as the method of fastening 

 the handles precluded them being used for cutting. They 



