April 15, 1898.]. 



SCIENCE. 



539 



cerned withstand vicissitudes, as of warmth or 

 moisture. It is to be observed that in Carda- 

 mine, Sanicula, Ammi, Chierophyllum, Bellis, 

 Lactuca, Vaccinium, Erica, Lysimachia, etc., 

 there are either no species but the endemic 

 ones, or the other species are rare or local — 

 probably usually of recent introduction. 



We are naturally led to ask why the ancient 

 fauna and flora, which must have been com- 

 posed of a fair number of species, was so little 

 able to acquire or preserve distinctive char- 

 acters, when such islands as the Caymans in 

 the West Indies, only a short distance from 

 land, have many peculiar species, even of birds. 

 One of the endemic beetles has its nearest ally 

 in Madagascar, while one i of the mosses is de- 

 clared by M. Cardot to be Philonotis obtusata, 

 described from Madagascar. These and other 

 indications suggest that the population of the 

 islands included, at least in part, forms which 

 were not able to withstand the competition of 

 westward-migrating types upon the continents, 

 and which were liable to be driven out from 

 their last stronghold on the islands by those 

 same types as soon as they appeared upon the 

 scene. It is probable that long isolated forms 

 might lose the power of resisting disease or 

 evading enemies, so that when these reached 

 the islands continental types introduced at 

 about the same time would have the advantage. 

 Still again, if the islands have undergone 

 changes of level and consequently of area, the 

 competition must at times have become very 

 severe, leading to the extinction of many spe- 

 cies when the area was reduced ; while an in- 

 creased area would afford exceptional facilities 

 for the immigrants. 



T. D. A. COCKEEELL. 

 .Mhsilla Paek, N. M., February 23, 1898. 



The Antiquities of Tennessee and the Adjacent 

 States. By Yates P. Thruston. Cincin- 

 nati, The Robert Clarke Co. 1897. Second 

 Edition. Illustrated. Pp. 369. 

 It is only by a considerable stretch of biblio- 

 graphic courtesy that this can be called a 

 second edition of Mr. Thruston's book. It is, 

 in fact, the signatures of the first edition, to 

 which some pages, distinguished by letters, 

 have been added, and two new plates. The 



index does not include the additional material. 

 As a treatise on the specimens of aboriginal 

 art discovered in the area of the State, this 

 volume must be preferred to others. The au- • 

 thor has endeavored to verify the finds and to 

 avoid the dangers of deception from 'fakes.' 

 He is right in his conclusion that the remains 

 reveal a condition of culture higher than that 

 which obtained among the resident tribes at the 

 period of the discovery. D. G. Brinton. 



Beitrage zur Volkerkunde der Deutschen Schutz- 

 gebiete. By Felix von Luschan. Bei-lin, 

 Dietrich Reimer. 1897. Mit 46 Tafeln und 

 48 Text Abbildungen. Folio. Pp. 87. 

 In this handsomely published volume Dr. 

 von Luschan presents a mass of interesting ma- 

 terial relating to various African tribes, notably 

 the Massai, Swaheli, Togo, Cameruns, and also 

 the New Britains. The earlier portions are de- 

 voted to physical anthropology, the measure- 

 ments having been made in accordance with a 

 very complete scheme which is detailed on 

 page 6. Among the subjects may be noted two 

 female dwarfs, in size about that of a nine-year- 

 old child, but in functions, developed women. 

 They apparently belonged to some of the in- 

 terior pygmy races. The numerous accurate 

 photographs which accompany these measure- 

 ments add to their interest. 



The ethnographic material represents a va- 

 riety of articles of native manufacture. Among 

 the decorations is a well marked 'svastika,' 

 from the Togo district, undoubtedly locally de- 

 veloped there, and which is clearly traceable to 

 a conventionalized lizard (p. 46). Such ex- 

 amples should suggest caution to those writers 

 who are wont to make so much of this common 

 figure. 



Another object (described and depicted, pp. 

 65, 66) is the ' throwing-stick.' It is common 

 in New Holland and in various parts of Oce- 

 anica, and, as is well known, recurs in several 

 areas of North and South America. Mortillet 

 has pointed out that it was familiar to the men 

 of the ' reindeer period ' of Prance ; but the 

 idea of von Luschan that, wherever it occurs, 

 we should suppose it borrowed from those an- 

 cient hunters, will scarcely recommend itself to 

 sober readers. 



