Sepiembee 28, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



487 



generally sound view of our provision for edu- 

 cation to interested foreigners ; and to our own 

 students of education in this country, whether 

 superintendents, principals, teachers or univer- 

 sity students, it is a store-house of information ; 

 at the same time it suggests our many and com- 

 plex educational problems vividly, and it shows 

 their intimate relation to the other problems of 

 our national life. Its great value to all students 

 of our social and educational problems is in- 

 disputable, both as a book of reference and as a 

 foundation for further study. 



Paxil H. Hanus. 

 Haevaed Univeesity. 



Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phaleenie in the 



British Museum. Vol. II., Arctiidse (part). 



By Sir George F. Hampson, Bart. 



This volume is similar to Volume I., issued 

 in 1898, and which treated of the family Synto- 

 midse. It contains the same advantages of 

 practicable keys to genera and species, being 

 simply invaluable to the working entomolo- 

 gist. 



The title is misleading, as the work is really 

 a monograph of the groups treated, embracing 

 the known fauna of the entire world, not 

 simply a catalogue of the species represented 

 in the collection of the British Museum, ^though 

 it may be noted that this collection possesses 

 examples of 77 per cent, of the species de- 

 scribed. Each genus and species is described 

 briefly, but characteristically. 



The volume contains the subfamilies Nolinse 

 and Lithosiinae of the Arctiidffi, as classified by 

 the author. These groups would seem to be 

 more properly of family rank, especially the 

 Nolinse, which, on larval and pupal charac- 

 ters, show a separate origin from a low Tineid 

 type to that of the Lithosiinae, which are them- 

 selves a true derivative of the Arotiinse and 

 properly classified here. The larval characters 

 of these groups are, in fact, well marked, 

 though not clearly brought out in the volume 

 before us. 



On page 256 we note a curious error, where 

 Seirarctia bolteri Edw. is given as a synonym of 

 Protosia terminalis Walk., whereas it is really 

 the same as Salisidota ambigua Streck., belong- 

 ing in the Arctiinse. 



There are a number of curious modifications 

 of structure clearly brought out, such as the 

 antennae of Chamaita, the hind wings of Boen- 

 asa and the larva of Nola argentalis ; but for the 

 details of these we must refer to the book 



itself. 



Hakeison G. Dyar. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PITY. 



To THE Editor of Science : The interest- 

 ing study of Pity in the July American Journal 

 of Psychology suggests some further considera- 

 tions. In the first place pity as grief for an- 

 other's pain is not sufficiently set off from mere 

 sympathy, Mitleid, in the literal sense as par- 

 taking of another's pain by direct contagion. 

 All kinds of emotions are contagious, and in 

 the case of fear we denote it by a special name, 

 panic. But it is plain that panic is not pity for 

 fear, but really hinders it ; and in general the 

 mere partaking an emotion or feeling interferes 

 so far with emotion for emotion, such as pity. 

 Emotion by contagion adds no new psychic 

 quality, as panic fear is simple fear ; but pity 

 is a new specific reaction, and not a mere com- 

 munication. In contagious painful feeling we 

 seek to suppress the cause ; but pity moves us 

 to seek the sufferer, to relieve him not for our 

 own sake, but for his sake. Pity as altruistic 

 grief has thus a quality of its own, as has al- 

 truistic joy as distinguished from contagious 



joy- 

 Again, this study scarcely notes whether an- 

 imals pity, and how far pity plays a part in the 

 general struggle of existence as between com- 

 petitors and as between the hunters and hunted. 

 We judge it likely that the biological origin of 

 pity in its general form is the perversion of 

 parental sympathy in the predaceous animals by 

 the prey as a last resort, the prey thus by cunning 

 circumventing the stronger. The occasional 

 adoption by lions and other ferocious animals 

 in menageries of small beasts offered them as 

 food suggests this, and a closer study of 

 beasts in their natural habitat may show some 

 indications of pity-inspiring as a sub-human 

 method in life and death issues. Certain it 

 is that animals sometimes consciously or un- 

 consciously take advantage of the human 



