Frazer.] 4<b [Dec. 20, 



ner), R. U. L. D, means the stroke made from the right upper to the left 

 lower corner, and L. U. R. D. means the stroke from the left upper to the 

 right lower corner. Proceeding from the right upper side in the direction 

 of the sun or of the hands of a watch the four quadrants are designated 

 by R. U., R. D., L. D., and L. U., respectively. 



SUMMARY OF NOTES OF THE ABOVE CASE. 

 A B 



Undisputed Joint Marks. Disputed. 



1. R. U. L. D. not convex to R. D. 1. R. U. L. D. convex to R. D. 



2. Lines do not broaden in the 2. Lines broaden in the direction 



direction in which drawn. in which drawn. 



3. One, and usually both, of the 3. One edge straight (usually both 



edges of line are crooked and edges). Crookedness not con- 

 irregular : one edge continu- tinuous on either edge, 

 ously so. 4. In 66 p. c. of cases examined 



4. In all genuine cases examined R, U. L. D. was longer than 



R. U. L. D. was shorter than L. U. R. D. 



L. U. R. D. 



In three thousand five hundred independent examinations of experi- 

 mental marks, made either by one individual or by the joint efforts of 

 various couples, there were found to be 10 p. c. of exceptions to A 1 ; 2 

 p. c. of exceptions to A 2 ; but no exceptions to A 3. 



A 4 varied so much with the writing habits of different individuals that 

 it is not regarded as of sufficient value to serve as a basis of discrimina- 

 tion. 



It should be noticed that the usual absence of strokes convex to R.D. 

 would naturally follow from the situation of the point of resistance when 

 the pen is held in the position which the writing masters used to call 

 "natural," or slanting downward from left to right and pointing over 

 the right shoulder. 



In this position to make a stroke R. U. L. D. convex to R. D. would re- 

 quire that the weight, added by the contact of the second hand, should be 

 lifted, because in tlie act of drawing such a line the penholder must be 

 changed to a more erect position, and the distance between the plane of 

 the paper and that in which the top of the penholder lies would be in- 

 creased. In drawing the line concave to R. D. this distance would be 

 diminished, and there would be no resistance to overcome. 



The illustrations on Plate xix are fairly typical of the respective char- 

 acters of joint pen marks made while two hands touch the penholder as 

 in tlie larger cross, and marks made freely by a single hand as in the 

 smaller cross. 



Both have been selected from the specimens of hand-writing examined 

 in the case above referred to. It should be borne in mind that the posi- 

 tions of these two crosses relatively to the horizontal guide line are not in- 



