292 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



I asked him if he could or did form a mental picture of a sum or 

 group of figm-es, but his answer was a decided negative. I next 

 tried him by putting down on paper the figm-es 275/1846, but the 

 moment I attempted to hand the paper to him he tm-ned away his 

 face as if it was something he did not wish to see or look at. On the 

 other hand, when asked to multiply 873 by 873 he gave the answer 

 in an instant, just as one might sa}^ six times six is thirty -six ; no 

 mental effort appeared to follow. 



He appeared to be quite ignorant of the ratio of the circumference 

 of a circle to its diameter ; so to illustrate this that I gave him a 

 practical example by passing the edge of a handkerchief across the 

 mouth of a tumbler, and then applying the same to the circum- 

 ference. This appeared to him to be a remarkable thing. 



On being asked if he ever looked at the stars, and did they not 

 convey the idea of an immense multitude , he could not say that they 

 did. They were only specks andmothing else. On testing him as 

 to anything regarding the direction of places, I put the question, 

 could he tell the road by which he came to my house ; his reply was 

 that he would have to inquire, yet the distance was under one-third 

 of a mile by a street that has only two "bends " in it. 



On being asked the age of a child in minutes that was eleven years 

 old his reply was given instantly, 5,781,600 being the product of 365 

 X 1 1 X 1 ,440. This example obviously disclosed the fact that to him 

 a year was equal to 365 units, and that multiplied by 11 times 

 24x60 must give the required answer, regardless of leap years, or 

 the fraction over that the year has in minutes and seconds, he being 

 ignorant of any such conditions. 



Asked what he understood by cube root, he could only say that 

 he divided a thing into itself by three , but he could not say how or 

 why. He explained that 3 must be the cube of 27. When asked to 

 multiply four figures by four figures he seemed to be hugely amused, 

 and almost roared with laughing while giving his result. 



In the matter of time, how long ago a thing took place, he appeared 

 to be quite uncertain, and I feel confident that in his mind an actual 

 interval of time or years conveys no particular impression. 



When considering a problem, he appears to think intently on 

 the actual figures given, but the process that follows seems to be 

 mechanical. 



To test this, I asked him to divide a certain figure by another, the 

 actual figures being to divide 47,526,421 by 13. In a moment 

 he said 7 remains over. I stopped him and asked him to explain 

 how he knew what remained before giving the first part of the 

 answer. 



He explained that the figures would make certain groups, but 

 the ultimate group would not divide without a remainder. These 

 groups would make together 3,655,878, with an indivisible quantity 

 of 7 still left. But he was entirely unable to explain how he could 



