164 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVII. No. 424 



undulating country extends up to the ridges of the Owen Stanley 

 Range. They are unacquainted with the use of iron, and, though 

 friendly disposed towards white men, could not be persuaded to 

 exchange their spears, adzes of jade and basalt, etc., for hardware 

 or other articles. 



The border of Dyke Aoland Bay is occupied by a group of 

 villages to which Sir W. Macgregor ga^-e the name of Oro; 

 but, as it was derived simply from the words iised by the local 

 guide on approaching the shore, there is some doubt whether 

 it is a tribal name or not. These villages are situated amidst the 

 forest and grassland sloping down from the Hydrographer's 

 Range, the spurs of which are inhabited by a population of about 

 3,000. At the eastern extremity of Dyke Acland Bay lies Cape 

 Nelson, remarkable for its numerous indentations, some of which, 

 such as Maclaren Harbor and Port Hennessy , so named by Sir W. 

 Macgregor, are excellent havens of refuge for shipping. Within 

 the perimeter of this cape lie two mountains, — Mount Trafalgar, 

 rising to a height of some 4,000 feet; and, to the south of it. 

 Mount Victory, probably 3,500 feet high. The latter is an active 

 volcano; for in the early morning steam was observed rising from 

 its two crests, and from a ridge at a lower elevation, and, as the 

 day advanced, the whole top of the mountain became obscured by 

 dense exhalations. Whereas Mount Trafalgar is clothed to its 

 summit with forest, the volcano is precipitous, and crowned with 

 masses of bare rock. Another large inlet, Collingwood Bay, lies 

 between Cape Nelson and the next promontory, which terminates 

 in the two headlands, Kibirisi Point and Cape Sebiribiri (or Vogel). 



On the western shore dwells the Maisina tribe, in villages of 

 inferior construction. The houses hold only one family each, and 

 their roofs project to about three feet from the ground, thus 

 forming verandas. These natives also are unacquainted with 

 iron and tobacco, and adorn themselves with the usual ornaments 

 of feathers, shells, and dog's teeth. The country towards the 

 interior is low, and densely covered with forests, in which the 

 casuarina is conspicuous. Several villages stud the coast between 

 Kibiiisi Point and Cape Sebiribiri; and opposite one of ihem, 

 named Kapikapi, rise two singular masses of coral, probably 

 eighty feet high, on each of which stand about a dozen houses. 

 These, being stocked with spears and approached by wooden 

 ladders, removable when necessary, are probably used as strong- 

 holds. 



After Cape Sebiribiri, Goodenough Bay is reached, stretching 

 to East Cape on Ansell's Peninsula, — a district that has gained 

 a sad notoriety from the murder of Capt. Ansell and the destruc- 

 tion of the "Star of Peace" in 1888. The head of the bay is 

 interesting from the miniature plateaus, elevated about 300 feet 

 above the sea-level, of which the land is composed, and which 

 have been formed by the soil washed down from the ravines in 

 the background. The climate of this part of New Guinea is 

 probably healthy; but the absence of navigable rivers would 

 prove a great obstacle to the cultivation of suitable lands in the 

 interior, if such should be found. 



Sir W. Macgregor also visited the Trobriand, Murua (Wood- 

 lark), and Nada (Lauchlan) Islands, situated far away to the 

 north and north-east of East Cape, between the parallels of 8-^ 35' 

 and 9° 23' south latitude, and the meridians of 150° 30' and 158" 

 40' east longitude. Nada is a group of islets, about nine in num- 

 ber, forming an atoll, with a lagoon seven to twelve fathoms 

 deep, and is inhabited by 169 natives. Murua, to the west of 

 Nada, is about thirty-eight miles long, and possesses a good har- 

 bor. The natives have entered the iron age, and have abundance of 

 food, consisting of yams, taro, and sweet-potatoes. The Trobri- 

 and Islands lie to the north-west of Murua. The whole group is 

 of coi-al formation, and is densely covered with forest, and the 

 fertility of the soil is indicated bv the abundance of cultivated 

 food. The natives also catch large quantities of fish. They were 

 very friendly with Sir W. Macgregor's party, and very eager to 

 trade. These islands are so much more important in extent and 

 population than had been reported, that several weeks might be 

 spent in thoroughly exploring them. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Primitive Folk-Studies in Comparative Ethnology. By Elib 

 Reclus. New York, Scribner & Welford. 8°. $1.35. 



Few writers on science, and none on geography, command a 

 more attractive style than Reclus. His vast reading supplies him 

 with a wonderful wealth of analogy; he is never dull; and his 

 philosophizing, which he is not shy to offer, is fresh and pro- 

 gressive. 



In the volume before us he undertakes a study of the sociology 

 of half a dozen "primitive" or savage nations, the avowed object 

 being to furnish from them a picture of the condition of man in 

 general in prehistoric ages. Of these half-dozen nations, two are 

 selected from America, — the Eskimos or Inuits, and the Apaches, 

 — while the other examples are from India, as the Nairs, the 

 Kolarians of Bengal, and the tribes of the Neilgherry Hills. 



The ethnography of the American portion leaves considerable 

 to be desired. The author includes in the Eskimos the Chukchis 

 (Tchouktches) of Siberia and the Koloschs of the North- West Coast, 

 neither of whom are in any way related to the Inuit. Re further 

 speaks of the Kolosches as distinct from the Tlinkits, though these 

 are merely two names for the same people. In enumerating the 

 Apache tribes (p. 123) he confuses them with the Yumas, who 

 belong to a wholly different stock, and again with the Pah-utes 

 (p. 140), who are distinct from both. These unfortunate errors 

 throw a shade of inaccuracy over his descriptions, because, though 

 correct in themselves, they do not always apply to the peoples 

 whom he sets out to depict. 



His authorities are usually carefully selected, and his quotations 

 highly illustrative. A tendency to force into prominence certain 

 sociological theories is perhaps visible. Thus, the doctrine of 

 primitive communal marriage is evidently one he holds in high 

 esteem, and seeks to support by all the evidence possible. Much 

 that he adduces to this effect would bear another interpretation. 

 The observations (pp. 69, 70, and elsewhere) on. the strange rela- 

 tions which have ever existed between the sexual passions and the 

 religious sentiments are ver.y suggestive, and deserve further ex- 

 pansion and analysis. 



Of these studies, that on the Kolarians of Bengal is perhaps the 

 most vivid, and, though it is the last in the book, the reader may 

 profitably begin with it, in order to learn promptly the style and 

 resources of the author. 



AMONG THE PUBLISHERS. 



Walter Dameosch has set Lord Tennyson's poem to music in 

 last week's Truth. 



Bulletin No. 73 of the North Carolina Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station is on agricultural grasses best adapted to North 

 Carolina soil and climate. 



— A novelty in periodical literature is the Kings' Jester, the 

 first number of which has just appeared. It is devoted to the 

 wit. humor, art, and advantages of advertising, and is published 

 by Herbert Booth King & Brother, the well-known advertising 

 agents of this city. 



— Messrs. Macmillan & Co. announce as among their publica- 

 tions this summer a " Text-Book of the Developmental History of 

 the Vertebrates," by Dr. Oscar Hertwig, professor of comparative 

 anatomy in the University of Berlin, translated and edited by Dr. 

 E. L. Mark, professor in Harvard University, fully illustrated; 

 also a "Text-Book of the Developmental History of the Inverte- 

 brates," by Drs. Korschelt and Heider of Berlin, translated under 

 the supervision of Dr. E. L. Mark of Harvard, fully illustrated. 



— Darwin's book on "The Structure and Distribution of Coral 

 Reefs " has been issued as one of the Camelot Series by Walter 

 Scott of London, the New York publishers being A. Lovell & Co. 

 The edition includes an introduction by Joseph W. Williams. As 

 the price is low and the volume attractively made up, the book 

 is worth examining by those interested. 



— Part II. of Whiting's "Short Course of Experiments in 

 Physical Measurements " has just been issued, and covers meas- 

 urements in sound, dynamics, magnetism, and electricity. Mr. 



