326 
which carries you on, in spite of a knowledge 
that the writer is ‘on very thin ice’ a great 
deal of the time. The off-hand way in which 
some rather serious problems are treated is 
hardly fair, even if we should agree with the 
sarcasm of some of her criticisms of isolated 
cases. For example, much space is devoted to 
the discussion of the subject of the need of 
proper training for the natives. And where 
the mission schools go to work along the lines 
of tailoring, printing, bookbinding, etc., many 
of which West Africa is certainly not in the 
most urgent need of, we should agree that they 
could employ their time much better upon such 
subjects as smithwork, carpentering or, best of 
all, agriculture. Our young lady, however, is 
never tired of quoting Dr. Nassau, for his great 
learning on the subject of the blacks, and then 
pokes fun at his efforts and those of some of his 
colleagues, forgetting that the seamy side of the 
garment of civilization as applied to the West 
Coast is probably just as apparent to them as 
to her, during her rather picnic-like excursions 
into these regions. 
As an example, ‘‘even sewing, washing and 
ironing are a little ahead of time. When the 
girl goes back to her husband with her two 
dresses she will soon be reduced to a single 
dirty rag, which will answer for dress, sheet, 
towel and dish cloth, and then think of the 
envy and jealousy of the other wives, and the 
state of feeling induced by such style. Wash- 
ing and ironing become parlor accomplishments 
when your husband does not wear a shirt, and 
when household linen is non-existent.’’ One 
might ask the question, What is the use of try- 
ing to do anything? 
Some of the writer’s conclusions form very 
interesting reading. One of the new reasons 
given for polygamy is that the man of the 
house is liable to ‘get enough to eat.’ But 
when, after getting fast on a sand bank, and 
trying to haul off by fastening a line to the 
trees on the main bank, and succeeding in pull- 
ing away the bank, trees and all, she reaches 
the conclusion that ‘Africa is a rotten Conti- 
nent,’ we cannot help but admire the stoical 
cheerfulness which is certainly the prime 
requisite for a good traveller. 
One of her ‘hints to travellers’ is worthy 
SCIENCE. 
[N. 8. Von. VI. No. 139. 
of a wide circulation, namely, to always learn 
the word or words meaning ‘I don’t know!’ 
as instances are given where four villages and 
two rivers have been graced with words bear- 
ing this interpretation, which does not tend to 
geographical clearness. Another feature might 
be added, drawn from the fact that rivers are 
sometimes called by one name going up, and 
by another going down the current. 
The really valuable portion of the book is 
that devoted to the subject of fetichism. Here 
the inspiration of Dr. Nassau is plainly visible, _ 
though there is a great deal of clear insight 
and common sense used in the interpretation of 
some of these difficult problems. It is a valu- 
able contribution to our knowledge of the sub- 
ject. 
There are five appendices to the work. The 
first two are by the authoress upon Trade and 
Labor on the West Coast and upon Labor. 
These are followed by a chapter by Dr. Gun- 
ther describing her collection of fish and rep- 
tiles. Appendix IV. is by Mr. Kirby, of the 
British Museum, on the insects obtained from 
the Ogowe region. The last is a legend of the 
origin of the cloth loom. 
_ WILLIAM LIBBEY. 
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY. 
The Microscope and Microscopical Methods. By 
Stmon HENRY GAGE. Sixth edition. Re- 
written, greatly enlarged. Comstock Publish- 
ing Company, Ithaca, New York. 1896. 
Octavo; pp. xii+237; 165 figures, 1 plate. 
The appearance of a new edition of Professor 
Gage’s work on ‘The Microscope’ calls for 
notice, since the addition of a large number of 
figures and about 90 pages of new material 
have made it practically anew book. As stated 
in the preface, the plan of the work: is: ‘ Actual 
experiments carried on by the student himself,’ 
and in this respect the book is probably unique 
in its field, and, it is needless to say, thoroughly 
in accord with the modern scientific method. 
In the preparation of the book Professor Gage 
has drawn upon his longexperience and numer- 
ous publications on microscopic technique, 
and in particular subjects has taken pains to 
consult specialists whose authority would not 
be questioned and to whom due acknowledg- 
