320 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 88. 



tions in ethnology are touched upon, there is 

 nothing in the shape of a bitter attack upon 

 former theories. The facts are brought out 

 more as suggestions, and they are numerous 

 and fruitful to the careful student, while they 

 are of interest to the more superficial traveller, 

 from the insight they give as to the influences, 

 climatic and otherwise, which have supplied 

 this bit of ' environment ' with its germs, and 

 have produced the peculiar life forms of the 

 group. 



The position of the islands in the belt of the 

 Northeast Trade winds, which have been a 

 predominant factor in causing the changes 

 which have been brought about, indicate the 

 immediate source of the forms of life to be 

 largely southern Europe ; since 60 per cent, of 

 its birds, insects and flowers come from the 

 Mediterranean basin. 



The earliest human migrations must have 

 been by boat, but all trace of any skill in this 

 direction had completely disappeared by the 

 time of the Spanish invasion, as no boats were 

 found. The inhospitable shores and the dan- 

 gerous surf must have been the cause of this 

 condition of things. The land ofiered the set- 

 tlers all they wanted and they were content. 

 The theory suggested of the descent of the 

 race, for it was a distinct type as described by 

 the Conquistadors, from the Berber family, is 

 very interesting reading. 



From the time at which these islands were 

 called the 'Insulse fortunatse,' by the expedi- 

 tion of the King of Mauritania in B. C. 40, they 

 were practically lost sight of until 1402. In 

 that year their relations with Europe began. 

 It took nearly 100 years, however, to conquer 

 the stubborn resistance of the real owners of 

 the islands, and the fearful destruction of life 

 is one of the saddest chapters in the history of 

 Spanish colonization. To-day there is proba- 

 bly no pure blooded member in existence of the 

 original race which inhabited the islands. 



The island is still, however, the 'Ultima 

 thule ;' the troubles of civilized life do not 

 bother the 'Isleno;' and the mild, balmy air 

 makes it the wonderland of peace. If the al- 

 most wild activity of modern existence can be 

 called life, then the Canaries supply us with 

 the dreamland of childhood. 



The author is evidently very much in love 

 with the subject of his sketch, and the smooth 

 surface of his description is only ruffled when 

 he comes under the influence of the hated 

 Spanish control, or the very loud English 

 tourist. He is evidently a Sybarite in the en- 

 joyment of nature. 



His description of the trips made to all parts 

 of the volcano are full of interest ; and while 

 it is true that the sketch given by Humboldt 

 upon the occasion of his visit 100 years ago 

 still holds good, there is much that is intro- 

 duced of a geological nature, which cannot but 

 help add to the pleasure of a trip to this local- 

 ity on the part of one not familiar with this 

 subject. As was to be expected, the best part 

 of the book is the sketch of his trip to the main 

 peak, and the word picture of the sunrise as 

 seen from the top is extremely well done. 



It seems a pity that even one sentence should 

 appear in such a book which grates upon the 

 scientific mind ; but on page 64 a rather re- 

 markable explanation is given which should 

 not have escaped the author's attention. It 

 reads as follows : ''The difierence in tempera- 

 ture between the soil and the air, and the 

 friction of the wind upon the crest of the 

 range, condense the moisture of the cold 

 Trade wind into small banks of cloud. ' ' This 

 explanation would hardly pass muster with the 

 meteorologist ; since the cause of condensation 

 is not the mere contact of the air with the soil, 

 or the friction against it, but the fact that the 

 air current is forced into a higher and colder 

 layer of air, which so reduces its relative hu- 

 midity that the point of saturation is reached. 



The maps of the book are carefully prepared, 

 and they cover the field of geology, the forms 

 of vegetation and the cultural regions, besides 

 giving a good road map. The illustrations, 

 while they are good, are not what might be 

 expected from clear photographs when repro- 

 duced by some of the more modern processes. 



At the close of the work is a discussion of 

 the craniological collection by Dr. F. von 

 Luschan, which is to be regarded as a prelimi- 

 nary notice, since the main results are reserved 

 for a future publication. 



William Libbey. 



Princeton Univeesity. 



