44 Recent Literature. [ January, 
interested in archzology can be found as in Japan.’ Indeed there 
is a native archeological society in existence which holds regular 
meetings. 
The Omori mounds lie six miles from Tokio, about half a mile 
from the shores of the Bay of Yeddo, and as shell mounds are 
naturally cast up near the shore, this indicates that the land has 
been elevated since their formation. These mounds differ from 
those of Denmark and New England by the great amount of pot- 
tery contained in them, by the great scarcity of stone implements, 
and by the absence of arrow-heads, spear-points and other pointed 
implements of stone, not a single arrow-head, flake or chip having 
been found after prolonged search, though rude stone hammers, 
celts and rollers, and instruments of bone occurred; but any orna- 
ments for personal adornment, such as are worn ‘by the Ainos, 
were entirely absent. While the remains of the monkey, deer, 
wild boar, wolf and dog occurred, the human bones were found 
to have been broken, ‘ ‘either with the object of extracting the mar- 
row or for convenience of cooking in vessels of too small dimen- 
sions to admit them at length,” while the bones were, in some 
cases, ‘strongly marked with scratches and cuts.” These evi- 
dences of cannibalism are paralleled by'those of the aborigines of 
Florida. Flattened tibiz also occurred. The author also com- 
pares the shells found in the mounds, and discovered that much 
as on the coast of New England and F lorida, they are now less 
abundant and smaller. Whiie changes in the relative propor- 
tions of the shells of certain molluscs have taken place, the 
modifications in the relative size and proportions of certain 
species being considerable, and seeming to indicate “ either 
that species vary in a much shorter time than had been sup- 
posed, or else that deposits presenting these peculiarities have a 
much higher antiquity than had before been accorded them.” 
The differences seemed to be decided, though still within specific 
limits, and to have been produced at a minimum of ot ee to 2000 
years, Japanese history extending back thus far. 
The plates, printing and manufacture of the biol i is of Japan- 
ese origin, a Japanese as well as an English edition having been 
printed. ` 
GrowTH As A Function oF Cetts.!— Under this title Mr. 
Minot discusses the subject of the increase of bulk, weight, etc., 
which attends the development of an individual organism from 
the one-celled egg-stage to maturity and death. The exponential 
formulae presented, expressing the rate and consequences of 
growth, are just about as unsatisfactory as they well can be, and, 
while we would not for a moment doubt the accuracy of Mr. 
Minot’s facts, the attempt to express the laws of growth, which 
owth as a Function of Cells. By Ren SEDGWICK MINOT. Fropcedinga Boston 
a Nat. Hist., 1878-79. Vol. xx, Pt. 11, p. 190. 
