Nagel, Color-Sense of a Child. 229 



The single point of agreement which stands out prominently in 

 both tables is, as may be easily seen, that blue occupies quite the 

 lowest position, and the most essential variation is the very differ- 

 ent positions taken by green. It is the low position of green in 

 Preyer's table that made me suspect color-blindness, just as the 

 normal vision of my child is, on the other hand, particularly well 

 shown by his ability so sharply to discriminate between green and 

 gray, blue and violet, red and brown. The great difference in the 

 reactions of Preyer's child to blue and violet argues, nevertheless, 

 against the supposition of color-blindness. 



It seems to me that my experiments mark a certain advance over 

 those of previous authors in that every color was shown, from the 

 very beginning, not in one degree of brightness and of saturation 

 only, but in as many as possible; this was markedly the case with 

 the most miportant colors that dichromates confuse. Correct 

 choosing, on the child's part, of the colors asked for under these 

 conditions, means much more than if each color is presented in 

 but one shade, tint or hue (which seems to have been the procedure 

 of earlier authors) and if orange and pink are regarded as inde- 

 pendent colors. 



In making use of Preyer's experimental series, it is also to 

 be taken into account that for some of the colors (brown, pink, 

 gray) so small a number of tests was offered, that one may scruple 

 somewhat about including them in the series at all. As an 

 actual error in Preyer's experiments, if I correctly interpret his 

 protocol, I consider his failure to include white and yellow among 

 the colors simultaneously shown. Under such conditions, the 

 reactions of Preyer's child to yellow may well have been simply 

 reactions "to much the brightest color." It is an unfortunate 

 habit of many physiologists and psychologists in such cases, where 

 various colors are offered for comparison, to make use of a yellow 

 ol much higher intensity, because it appears brightest in the spec- 

 trum, than that of the other colors. It is my belief that, if pig- 

 ment colors are to be employed, a " brown" should ahvays be given 

 for comparison with the other colors, that is, a dark but saturated 

 yellow with neither a trace of green nor of red; one introduces, 

 otherwise, a quite unintentional complication, namely, the marked 

 difference m brightness and saturation between the yellow and 

 the other colors. 



It is, indeed, self-evident that when an adult can discriminate 



