December i6, 1909] 



NATURE 



187 



love bird-life better than mutton will probably hope 

 not. 



The natural food of this extraordinary parrot 

 consists of fruits, roots, honey, worms, insects, and 

 g-rubs. It is gifted with an inordinate curiosity ,_ and 

 seems ever ready to experiment and investigate 

 novelties. Mr. Marriner believes that this inquiring 

 spirit is responsible for its predilection for fresh meat; 

 that it first began by experimenting with sheepskins 

 and dead carcases, and later on took to killing on its 

 own account. The idea that the kidneys are its 

 especial tit-bits seems to be based entirely upon the 

 fact that the sheep is generally attacked in their 

 neighbourhood ; this, however, is the only part upon 

 which the kea can maintain a footing while the 

 sheep is racing about and trying to throw off its 

 torturer. The cruelty of the whole proceeding is 

 horrible in the extreme, and the annual loss to the 

 run-holders is estimated by the author at 5 per cent. 

 of the flocks. The birds appear to enjoy their sport 

 exceedingly, but they have not yet learnt wisdom, and 

 fall an easy prey to the avenger. When the kea 

 hunter has exhausted his cartridges, he sometimes, we 

 are told, allows the birds to see him disappear behind 

 an overhanging ledge of rock. Their curiosity induces 

 them to try and find out what has become of him, and 

 one bv one they walk to the edge and look over, only 

 to be knocked on the head by his stick. If so, why 

 waste cartridges? Perhaps there is not always a 

 suitable rock handy. 



The book is brightly written, and contains some 

 good illustrations, and we recommend it to all lovers 

 of nature. Considering its size, however, the price 

 seems to be rather high. A. D. 



(i) Ho'iSi to Study the Stars. By L. Rudaux ; translated 

 bv Dr. A. H. Keane. Pp. 360. (London : T. 

 Fisher Unwin, 1909. 1 Price 5.?. net. 

 (2) How to Identify the Stars. By Dr. Willis I. Mil- 

 ham. Pp. v + 3S + plates. (New York: The Mac- 

 millan Company; London: Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd., 1909.) Price 36-. net. 

 ,(i) Both the means and methods of observation 

 dealt with in this book are eminently practical, 

 being founded for the greater part on the progres- 

 sive astronomical equipment of the author and the 

 methods which, in actual use, he has found effective. 

 The needs of the amateur are all along kept in mind. 

 The interested and intelligent user of a pair of opera 

 glasses is led to make for himself apparatus more 

 ambitious. As the possessor of a telescope he is shown 

 practical, and often home-made, mountings for the 

 smaller sizes, while for the amateur of means, to whom 

 a medium-sized equatorial reflector or refractor is 

 possible, the question of a suitable house for his in- 

 strument is dealt with. Here the varied experience of 

 the author is called in, the important question of 

 cost not being forgotten. 



Part ii. is concerned mainly with methods of ob- 

 servation and results. The study of sun, moon, and 

 planets is undertaken, often with apparatus b}' no 

 means extravagant, and the kind of results which mav 

 be expected are indicated, by reference to the author's 

 own work, and by actual photographs reproduced. 



For the purpose of progressively instructing amateur 

 astronomers, the book should prove successful. The 

 translation seems, on the whole, well done, and a 

 readable work has been produced. 



(2) The title of this book suggests at once its elemen- 

 tary nature. The appeal both of the text and the charts 

 is to beginners in astronomy. The thirty-eight pages 

 of letterpress deal in a sketchy way with such sub- 

 jects as the history of the constellations, stellar magni- 

 tudes, and colours and methods of study. So many 

 subjects in so few pages obviouslv precludes anv 

 NO. 2094, ^'OL. 82] 



fulness of treatment. The "history " consists chiefly 

 of a list of constellation names, with genitives and 

 meanings, together with the names of their proposers, 

 and the section devoted to " star colours " occupies less 

 than a page. The list of the twenty brightest stars, 

 giving magnitudes and colours, is useful, while the 

 division of the eighty-eight constellations into four 

 distinctive groups should prove helpful in memorising. 



Four small charts, showing the stars visible at con- 

 venient hours during- the various months of the year, 

 and twenty-four constellation tracings are appended. 



An excellent feature of the publication is the list, at 

 the end of each section, of books and papers suggested 

 for further study. 



The general method followed and material presented 

 is stated to be essentially the same as that used in the 

 course on descriptive astronomy in Williams College. 

 Within its limitations the work is accurate and ser- 

 viceable, and may be recommended as a convenient 

 epitome of the subject. 



Scientific Nutrition Simplified. By Goodwin Brown 

 With a Supplementary Chapter by Dr. J. Sven. 

 Pp. xi + 27i. (London : William Heincmann, 1909.) 

 Price 2s. 6d. net. 

 This little book is one of the simple-life series. It 

 puts in popular language the information for the 

 practical application of the principles of nutrition 

 advanced by Mr. Horace Fletcher and Prof. Chitten- 

 den. The main principle involved is the reduction of 

 the protein intake to about half the amount usually 

 accepted by physiologists as the normal. In reviews 

 of similar books which the present writer has contri- 

 buted to N.1TURF, during the last few years, it has been 

 pointed out that the Chittenden regime is not free 

 from danger, and it is unnecessary to traverse the 

 same ground again. The general tenor of the 

 present work contrasts very forcibly with the 

 scientific exposition of the subject in the work of 

 Max Rubner recently reviewed (November 4, p. 2). 

 The enthusiast sees only the pros and does not 

 pause to consider the cons, in a subject which really 

 bristles with difficulties. No one wishes to advocate 

 over-eating, but to preach a doctrine of under-feeding 

 as a permanent and universal practice is a very dif- 

 ferent thing from the temperance and moderation 

 which is the ideal. The majority of physiologists have 

 condemned the Chittenden diet as insufficient, and 

 those with knowledge are more likely to be correct 

 than the faddists, even if they can count one or two 

 disciples drawn from the scientific world in their 

 ranks. 



A great point is made in the present work of Mr. 

 Fletcher's advocacy of thorough mastication. Nobodv 

 denies tlie importance of the saliva and of the process 

 of chewing, but to advocate the supreme importance 

 of the least important of the digestive juices, and to 

 elevate the action of the jaws into what seems to be 

 regarded almost as a religious exercise, is not only 

 unscientific, but ridiculous. W. D. H. 



.1 Barometer Manual for the Use of tSeamen; with 

 an Appendix on the Thermometer, Hygrometer, and 

 Hydrometer. Issued by the authority of the Meteor- 

 ological Committee. Si.\th edition, extensively 

 revised. Pp. 67. (London : H.M. Stationery 

 Office, 1909.) Price 3d. 

 .'\ltiiougii chiefly intended for the use of seamen, this 

 manual will be found of much service by anyone 

 desirous of obtaining accurate information relating to 

 the use of the barometer, and its connection with 

 weather conditions and storms experienced in all parts 

 of the globe. It is a revised edition of the Barometer 

 Manual prepared by the late .\dmiral FitzRov, formerlv 

 chief of the Meteorological Department of the Board 



