It is always interesting to have careful experimental studies of data bearing on psycho-analytical theory. In this book Mrs. Deutsche has investigated children's views on causation, discussing amongst other matters the frequency with which ideas of magical causation are met with.

She invited 732 children between the ages of eight and sixteen years of age to tell her how they believed certain things to be caused. Some of the questions concerned little experiments like putting a candle under a bell-jar until it is extinguished; others inquired after such common phenomena as 'What makes the wind blow?' The questions were carefully selected,