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This most recent work of Professor Westermarck consists of three long polemical essays, in which he champions his own previously expressed opinions on totemism, exogamy, marriage, and the general relations of the sexes in primitive societies, as against the alternative views advanced by various other modern writers. The first essay deals with psycho-analysis, the second with such 'recent theories of exogamy' as have been propounded by Mrs. Seligman, Lord Raglan, Dr. Briffault and others, while the third combats the views with regard to matriarchy and the origin of the family propounded by Dr. Briffault in his work The Mothers. Throughout the book the polemics are very detailed and demand the reader's close attention. Point after point is taken up and an attempt made to show that the views of the author under consideration are inconsistent, inadequate, or based on neglect or misinterpretation of known facts. So long a catalogue of errors and misunderstandings, each one subjected to minute and careful consideration from the logical and factual points of view, is inevitably in its cumulative effect somewhat bewildering and depressing. Möbius once wrote a book entitled Die Hoffnungslosigkeit aller Psychologie, and after reading Professor Westermarck's indictment, one is inclined to think that there is room for a companion volume dealing with anthropology or perhaps indeed with the human sciences generally; for if so many