CURRENT LITERATURE.
Australia, America, Africa, Asia, and the Aryan peoples. In these first six chapters we get a concise and critical summary of the general views as to definition of kinship. Though given in a complex_ and somewhat indigestible form, this portion of the volume is of great value, and displays acute critical powers and much fearless- ness of opinion. " The Aryan Peoples " is a particularly good summary In the second section, we have " The Primitive Family " discussed, and here, as Mr. Starcke goes more into detail, he be- comes more instructive. His chapter on "Inheritance by Brothers," is, indeed, most interesting. Mr. Starcke's reasons for disputing various theories have, from the omission of necessary details, often the appearance of being hasty, and some, indeed, are actually so. In a work of a critical nature, we cannot wonder, perhaps, at this. The effects of compression are indeed obvious, and much to be regretted in a subject which must always contain some very debatable and utterly inexplicable facts. Africa, we think, would repay more study. What does Mr. Starcke think of Buganda, where three individuals have the rank of king,—the King himself, his sister, and his mother, and where (with a recent exception) the eldest son never succeeds ? There are many curious and puzzling customs in the Dark Continent, which may yet add to our know- ledge of the question of female descent. An appendix, a good bibliography, and Morgan's tables of consanguinity, complete a valuable statement of Mr. Starcke's position, that of agnatic as against uterine descent.
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