Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/81

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has made good use of his opportunities, as an official employed on the Gold Coast, to collect much interesting information. But his treatment of the subject is discursive, and his proneness to digression makes it difficult to follow his conclusions. He is obviously familiar with the people and their ways, but he is not a scientific investigator, and his work thus loses some of its value for the serious student. But he has collected much that is curious in native life, and if his book had been arranged under more definite headings and furnished with an index its value would have been increased. The most interesting part is his discussion of spirit-possession, which often results in madness. His photographs are interesting, but they were not invariably taken to illustrate his subject.

from her wide knowledge of early Herbals and Cookery Books has compiled a charming account of old herb gardens, their products, and the uses for which they are employed. The book begins with an appeal for the development of the cultivation and use of herbs. It describes in alphabetical order the chief varieties of herbs, with notes on the belief associated with them, and their uses. It then describes Sallets, Herb Pottages, Puddings, Drink and home-made Wines, the picking and drying of herbs and sweet scents. Finally, a full bibliography is appended. There is much folk-lore scattered through the book, but, in the absence of references, the value of this is diminished for the scientific worker.