10 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1918. 



There are nine species of grasses that may be considered to be alpine. A few 

 others extend from the lower zones into the alpine region. Most of the alpine 

 species are circumpolar and extend southward in the mountains, one to the 

 high peaks of western North Carolina and two through the Rocky Mountains 

 even in South America. One species, Poa laxa, is abundant on the upper cone 

 of Mount Washington, extending quite to the summit, and comprises almost the 

 only vegetation of this area. This is a European species which is found in 

 North America only in the region of Mount Washington and on a few of the 

 higher peaks of New England. 



The forest flora of the mountains consists mainly of white pine, white spruce, 

 larch, aspen, and white birch. Toward the summits of the peaks the dominant 

 tree is the balsam fir, which near timber line becomes a straggling shrub. 



ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES ON OLD AMERICAN FAMILIES. 



In continuation of his researches on old American families, Dr. 

 Hrdlicka, of the National Museum, in 1917, visited Yale, Virginia, 

 and Harvard Universities. The last two were visited on the occa- 

 sion of the " Teachers' Course," which brings to these institutions 

 many adult individuals of old American parentage from a large 

 territory. The total number of subjects examined, mainly for pig- 

 mentation of hair, and eye and skin color, amounted to over 1,000, 

 all of whom were Americans of at least three generations ori both 

 the paternal and maternal sides of the family. Dr. Hrdlicka says : 



The results which are now being elaborated for a report are of uncommon 

 interest. They show a number of important facts of which we had no previous 

 reliable knowledge. One of these is, in brief, that there is no increase in the 

 proportion or grade of pigmentation as we proceed from New England south- 

 ward, and no increase in blondness as we proceed northward from the Caro- 

 linas and Virginias. Another striking result shows that there are localized 

 peculiarities in pigmentation, especially that of the hair, but that in every case 

 these can be traced to the ancestry rather than to the environmental conditions. 

 The latter nevertheless appear to have been active in general in reducing the 

 total proportions of blondness. 



So far as the color of the eyes is concerned there were found unexpectedly, 

 in all the areas, a large proportion of " mixed " colors; in other words, eyes in 

 which more or less marked traces of brown coexist with various shades of blue, 

 green, or gray. 



Three cases were encountered in which the color of the two eyes was mark- 

 edly different. Pure beautiful blues and browns were few in number. 



THE MOUNTAINEERS OF TENNESSEE. 



During the latter part of July, 1917, Dr. Hrdlicka made a trip to 

 eastern Tennessee, for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the 

 characteristics of the population of these regions, which in large part 

 is of old American stock but has long existed under disadvantageous 

 environment, remaining as a result backward in education and in 

 other respects. He reports as follows on the results of his studies : 



The work commenced at Bristol, Tenn., extended to Mountain City, and 

 farther on into the hills: and its success was very largely due to the kind 



