Facts and Theories about Bird MigrationBird Migration by A. Landsborough ThomsonReview by: Herbert FriedmannThe Scientific Monthly, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Mar., 1943), pp. 279-280Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/17833 .

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BOO[KS ON SCIENCE FOR LAYMEN 279

The fourth chapter, on "The Rise of Intelligent Be:havior, " is a somewhat hasty survey of the field which is comn- mionly called physiological psychology, taking account; to some extent of the progress which psychology had made in this field from the traditional basis of as- sumptions and. -theories iniherited from the physiologists. The fifth chapter, on "Managing ou-r Minds," is a venture into the field of adjustmnent psychology, implemiented f rom popular psyehology and pseudo-psychology. The sixth ehap- ter, on "The Endocrine Control of the Body," appears to the reviewer to be an excellent presentation, by an expert, of important physiological as-pects of endo- crine functioll . In conisidering the ef- fects of hormones on the emotions, the author neglects, as do most endocrinolo- gists, the effects of emotions on the endo- crine balance--a topic which is becoming more and more important to psycho] o- gists in the field of adjustment.

The seventh chapter deals wi-th "sex" in the confused meaninog of that multi- valent term which is usual in psycho- analytic anld olther popular disquisitions. As in most popular articles and books o01 sex a limited selection of facts is put before the reader, who (if a laymani) is not able to supply the omitted material which is necessary for interpretation, or to distinguish the fact from the fiction.

The last three chapters deal with "De- mocracy as a Biological Problem," "The Educated Failure," and "Man 's Search for the Ideal. " Although nothing is pre- sented i]l these e[hapters whieh would not be familiar to the educated layman, the author's selectioils of doctrines and argui- ments are clearly presented an.d shouldl be interesting to readers not too sophisti- cated. The last chapter includes a de- fense of religion, with miseoneeptions of eertain religions cited, andc a defense of a theory of evoluition. The form of evo- lutioli defended is not clearly iiidicated; but so far as the reviewer can judge, it is

the popular theory which makes evolu- tion analogous to the slow filling-in of the words of a cross-word puzzle, thle defi- nitions for which are assumed to have been fixed, unchangeably, in the begin- ning of the world.

There are some points which might be questioned as regards their validity, their implications or their consisteney with other statemients, but the reviewer does not feel inclined to criticize details in a popular book.

KNIGHT DUNLAP

FACTS AND THEORIES ABOUT BIRD MIGRATION'

OF all the aspects of bird study, migra- tion is probably still t;he one that inter- ests the greatest number of observers, and in spite of the vast amount of ob- servational data on record, is still one of the least solved, most obviously mysteri- ous of all bird behavior problems. The fact that, in war-torn England, a revised edition of Thomson's compact little book should be issued (anid it would not be published unless there was an assumed demand for it) is a clear iindication of migration's continuing iinterest for nat- ural-history miinded folk. The book is essentially a reprinting of the first edi- tion of 1936 with very few minor changes and additions (for instance, it has thir- teen maps as compared with ten in the first edition). The type is smaller and the number of pages correspondingly re- duced from 224 in the 1936 edition to 192 in the present one. [A publisher's note on the back of the fly leaf states that, "the paper and binding of this book con- form to the authorized economy stand- ard. " ]

The book is divided into four main parts, each conitaininig three chapters. They are: 1. Introduction to Migration, with accounts of the study of migration, the different types of migratory be-

1 Bird Migration. A. Landsborough Thomson. Revised edition. 192 pp. 6/-. 1.942. H. F. & G. Witherby, Ltd. (London).

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280 THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY

havior, and the phenomenoln of migration in its broad aspects; 2. Certain -aspects of migratioln, with discussions of the di- rections, the seasons, and the methods of migration; 3. General Features of Migra- tion, involving accounts of immensity, its complexity, andl its regularity; aild, 4. Theories about Migration, with the dis- cussion grouped under the topics of the utility aiid eauses of migration, and the mechanism of guidilng during migratioln.

A book of this sort andl size is designed for the general reader, and not for the advaneed student. In this it is very suc- cessful aind merits a new edition. It is characterized by aceuracy and critical caution, and shouldl serve, as did its pred- ecessor, to give information and pleasure to a large number of people.

HERBERT FRIEDMANN

THE AMATEUR SCIENTIST IN PHILADELPHIA1

THE money profit motive has beenl over- emphasized in this modern world. Hu- man beings do not do things primarily for dollars. They do them because they are interested in them and want to do them. Much of the important work of the world is unpaid in cash but paid in pleasure.

The American Philosophical Society's Committee on Education and Participa- tioll in Scienee, with graiits from the Car- negie Corporation, carried on for three years one of the most exciting inquiries and demonstratiolns of recent years con- cerned with the public participation in scielnce, not as spectators but as prac- titioners. W. Stephen Thomas, who steered this experiment, tells the story of its suecess and its background in "The Amateur Scientist."

In Philadelphia, rich in scientific his- tory, fortunate in educational and scien- tific institutions and museums, and mel- lowed by an atmosphere conducive to

1 The Amateur Scientist. W. Stephen Thomas. Illustrated. 291 pp. $3.00. 1942. W. W. Norton and Company.

contemplative inquiry, there were dis- covered by Mr. Thomas some 32,000 sci- entists-f or-the-fun-of-it with societies and informal groups that number nearly 300. We hear muceh about the professionals, the professors, the scienee taught in school and college, but we have hereto- fore heard little about the amateur. We are prone to forget that Benjamin Frank- lin, whose influence hovered over almost everything scientific in the City of Brotherly Love, was an amateur in sci- ence although certainly no novice.

A quartette of specialists, a helpful committee and a small central staff brought to light and gave some stimula- tion and unity to these serious hobbyists. There were sample and demonstration research projects: When the wild flowers bloom; what tree rings show about the climate of the past; how to mark snakes, frogs and turtles to keep tab on them; and how to probe the upper atmosphere with radio waves. There was sufficient prospecting and assaying to show that there is much scientific gold in those nights, days-off, and Sundays of the ex- pert amateur in science.

You would expect school teachers, pharmacists, physicians, chemists, engi- neers, to be amateur scientists in Phila- delphia, but would you have guessed that there were bankers, business executives, clerks, mail carriers, printers, pattern makers and a hundred other occupations among them, ineluding a professional dancer, housewives by the score, those who have retired and some unemployed?

This extensive interest in science as a serious hobby is not limited to the type city of Philadelphia. Probe beneath the surface of any eity or town and you will be sure to find enthusiastic and compe- tent scientific amateurs. The Philadel- phia story demonstrates that this is a neglected field, worthy of cultivation by a local institution that has motivation and resources to activate, coulisel and guide the latent or unorganized abilities.

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