RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 645 



some. In " Specific and Varietal Characters in Annual 

 Sunflowers " (ibid. October 1915) Cockerell points out that 

 variations arise quite continuously. These new variations 

 repeat themselves in various species, indicating that they 

 represent common deep-seated tendencies. The work on 

 " Inheritance of Doubleness in Matthiola and Petunia " (ibid. 

 October) by Frost extends that done by Saunders (cf . Bateson) . 

 " Variability and Amphimixis " were studied by Walton 

 (ibid. November), who indicates (1) that variability is greater 

 in small and isolated populations ; (2) progressive evolution 

 results from factors arising through cumulations ; (3) characters 

 once thus formed produce by fluctuations, etc., the diversity 

 of organic life. Mice furnish subjects of a paper on " Genetic 

 Studies of Several Geographic Races of Calif ornian Deer Mice," 

 by Sumner (ibid. November). " On Hooded Pattern of Rats," 

 by Castle (ibid. December), is used also to reply to Pearl's 

 paper given above, and it is pointed out that " sorting over what 

 is already there " implies that there is no change in the germ 

 plasm, an assumption for which there is no evidence. " In- 

 heritance of black-eyed white spotting in Mice " is treated by 

 Little, while Laughlin gives " A Description of Mechanical 

 Charts for illustrating Mendelian Heredity in each of three 

 well-known cases of blending Inheritance in the 1st hybrid 

 generation." 



ANTHROPOLOGY. By A. G. Thacker, A.R.C.Sc, Public Museum, 

 Gloucester. 



The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute for the first 

 half of 191 5 (vol. xlv.) has now been received. The first 

 article is the presidential address of Prof. Arthur Keith, 

 and this deals with " The Bronze Age Invaders of Britain." 

 Prof. Keith reaches no very definite conclusions with regard 

 to these people. As is well known, the Bronze Age Race, or 

 as it is otherwise called the " Round- Barrow Race," was 

 markedly different from the Long- Barrow Race which inhabited 

 Britain during the greater part of the Neolithic Age. The 

 Long- Barrow people were dolichocephalic and were very small 

 in stature ; the Bronze Age people were brachycephalic and 

 were large and powerfully built, especially in the case of the 

 women. They are also believed to have been blond, and 

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