ANTHROPOLOGY. A .' > 1 



Some experiincMits bigbly iiiterestiii.q" to physiol()<^ists arc reported 

 in ]\[r. Francis Galton's vice-presidential address before the British 

 Association. By using a very large number of family records some 

 results regarding stature are made to appear. As with seeds so with 

 nion, "oliopring did not tend to resemble their parent seed in size, but 

 to be always more mediocre than they — to be smaller than the parents, 

 if the parents were large; to be larger than the parents, if the parents 

 were small." An analysis of the family records gives the numerical 

 value of the regression towards mediocrity as from one to two thirds 

 with unexpected coherence and precision. 



The most remarkable production of the year in the field of biological 

 anthropology is Dr. Paul Tojjinard's iil6meuts d' Anthropologic Gem''- 

 rale, an octavo of 1157 pages, 229 figures, and 5 plates. The volume 

 covers the history of anthropology, the discussion of the general i)rin- 

 ciples, and a minute account of anthropological methods regarding the 

 hair, color of eyes and hair and skin, height, the encephalon, the era 

 nium, and closing with anthropometry upon the living. Only a few of 

 Dr. Topinard's results can be appended. Taking the section of the hair 

 or crinal index as a primary classific concept, he gives the table below : 



1. .Hair straight, section more or less round, scarce on the face and body: Yellow 

 and red races of Asia and America. 



2. Hair nappy or very spiral, section more or less elliptical : Negro races of Africa 

 and Oceanica. 



:5. Hair more or less curled or wavy, oval in section : Eurhpeau races, Anstralians, 

 Nubians, &c. 



The next concept is the nasal index, to which Dr. Topinard attaches 

 great importance. Adding this to the color of the skin we have : 



Loptorrhines. White ^ Hyperleptorrhine. Anglo-Scandinavian (Kyniri). 



(living.) races. <; Leptorrhine (non aquiline). Celts. 



(39 and less. [Leucoid.] ( Leptorrhine (aquiline). Semites. 



Mesorrhines. Yellow t Flat j Leptorrhine (cranial). Eskimo. 



(living.) races. < noses. ^ Mesorrhine (cranial). Yellow races of Asia. 



7ntoHl-4. [Xanthoid.]( Salient nose. Redskins. 



Platyrrhines. Black i Well formed nose. African negroes. 



(living.) races. < -kt ... , ( Melaiiesiaiis and Aiis- 



82 and above. [Melanoid]. ( ^««^ ^^'^^«'^' "^'^^ enormous ahc. J tialiaus. 



The nasal index on the living is the ratio between the length of the 

 nose from the root to the outer insertion of the septum and the width 

 outside of the alaj. 



The subject of color is further discussed in its relation to the eyes and 

 hair and the races grouped as below : 



Eyes, color : Hair, color: 



1. Black and blackish, different shades. 1. Absolutely black. 

 13. Green. 2. Dark brown. 



'A. Hazel. :{. Clear chestnut. 



•1. Blue and clear of different slia les, in- 4. (a) Blonde, yellowish, 

 eluding clear gray. (b) Blonde, reddish. 



(c) Blonde, ashy. 



(d) Blonde, clear. 

 5. Red. 



