DEcEMBER 20, 1918] 
discovered the above records while exploring 
the prehistoric cavern at Montesqui-Avantes 
in Ariége. 
The first finds of Count Begouen and his 
sons, which we mentioned when brought forth 
in 1914, before the war, were of great interest 
to the institute. 
Some months later the three brothers de. 
parted for the front. What they have done 
there may be learned from the numerous and 
splendid citations which we have published. 
But that which they accomplished for science 
during their furloughs was not known. Yet it 
is of consequence that we learn and for that 
reason their father came yesterday to tell the 
academy that in June last during one of these 
furloughs which reunited all three sons at 
Montesqui-Avantes he continued with them 
the exploration of the Ariége cave. 
This time Count Begouen and his sons dis- 
covered on the walls of the subterranean gal- 
leries some engravings estimated to be thirty 
thousand years old, and in such quantity and 
variety that the extraordinary ensemble of pre- 
historic art work constitutes a veritable mu- 
seum. 
The animals figured in the cave are consider- 
able in number and include reindeers, bisons, 
horses, both isolated and in groups; bears, ele- 
phants and rhinoceroses. The representations 
of felines are very rare in prehistoric art; but 
MM. Begouen have photographed in their cave 
a genuine lion, executed in bas-relief. They 
have made out also several birds including 
swans, ducks, as well as three predatory night 
fliers. 
The human figure is likewise represented in 
the cave, which in recognition of the sons of 
Count Begouen has been baptized “the Cave 
of the Three Brothers.” A silhouette is par- 
ticularly remarkable, almost baffling. It repre- 
sents a man in motion; a man of powerful 
body, whose head and shoulders are joined by 
an enormous neck; a man whose upper and 
lower limbs and whose hands and feet are per- 
fectly human, but whose vertebral column is 
prolonged in an exterior appendage resembling 
that of the anthropoids; a man, at last, qui 
marche a quatre pattes! 
SCIENCE 
621 
The suggestions prompted by the magnificent 
discovery of MM. Begouen have long held the 
attention of the academy. MM. Dieulafoy, 
Salomon Reinach, Edmond Pottier, Langlois, 
Louis Leger, Bouché-Leclereq are particularly 
interested. 
Several communications have been made on 
the subject by MM. Homolle and Clermont- 
Ganneau. 
N. C. Netson 
SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 
The Destinies of the Stars. By 
ArrHentus. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 
Pp. xvii + 256, illustrated. 
In 1903 Dr. Arrhenius was awarded the 
Noble Prize for his researches in the field of 
electro-chemistry. To the study of the devel- 
opment of the celestial universe, he, therefore, 
brings the mind of a trained chemist; the 
mind of one who is especially fitted to grapple 
with the intricate problems of the evolution 
of the stars and planets from the formless 
masses of gaseous nebulae. 
In “ The Destinies of the Stars ” this evolu- 
tion is traced through the spiral nebule, the 
gaseous stars, the sun, the worlds to be, Jupiter 
and Saturn, the world, to the final destiny of 
all, the dead planets, Mercury and Mars. In 
this general theory of growth and decay there 
is, of course, little that is new, but Dr. 
Arrhenius treats the matter in a new way 
and brings out many new points. 
The chapter devoted to the planet Mars is 
especially interesting. In this the so-long 
popular fantastic ideas of Lowell are scientifi- 
ally and clearly discussed, and the utter im- 
possibility of any life, such as we have any 
conception of, existing on Mars is conclusively 
shown. The inhabitants of this planet, the 
wonderful system of irrigating canals, the 
whole fabric of intensely interesting fact and 
fancy so cleverly woven by Lowell, are shown 
by the clear, concise reasoning of the chemist 
to be only “such stuff as dreams are made of.” 
The book is decidedly interesting and well 
worth careful reading. It lacks, however, con- 
tinuity. This is due, undoubtedly, to the 
SVANTE 
1918. 
