3ÖÜ Mwcellanea 



Hcuco \ve See tliat the "principle of coniiiensjition " whicli certaiii anatomists seem to have 

 drawn froin the Observation of head.s in tlie dissoctinjj; roDin aiJjiears to l>e quite fallacious. 

 Tlic long-lieaded individual within the race is likely also to he relatively liroad, i.e. individuals 

 within the race tend to have geiierally big or genorally small heads. The " principle of coin- 

 pen.sation " only applies when we compare the tuean lengths aud breadths of diflferent races. 

 Here the long-headed race i.s a narrow-lieaded race and i'ice lersd. This is a curious illiistration 

 of liow by a false or superficial investigation an erroneous result niay bc reached, — a resiilt which 

 on an entirely diflerent plane can be justified by a correct theory. 



We hopc later to publish far more coiuplete intraracial coefficients for the case of man, 

 and lay to soiue extent the foundation of what we believe to be a scientific theory of race 

 in man. In this preliniinary note we are confe.ssedly only touching the fringe of an immense 

 and ditScult subject, but wo believe that we have indicated the proj)er raethod of approaching it. 



INllEJliTANCE ÜF FINGER PßlNTS. 



Mr Francis Galtox is at ■\v(jik on the inheritance of patterns seen in finger 

 prints, and he wonld be \ery ghiil of aid fr(jm any readers of Biometrika wlio will 

 be kiud euough to take prints of family groups for hini. Applications for the loan 

 of a set of apparatus with .«chedules and forms for writing and printing should be 

 made to Mr Galton at 42, Rutland Gate, London, S.W., with the letters " F. P." 

 (meaning finger prints) boldly written on the upper left-haud corner of the corn- 

 munication. 



