12 



The Journal of Heredity- 



tree. It is more suitable for planting 

 along suburban roads where it has 

 plenty of sj^ace to spread out on each 

 side. Nothing is more picturesque than 

 an avenue of sycamores, and as a shade 

 tree in rural districts it is unsurpassed, 

 but the great spread of its branches 

 makes it objectionable in situations 



where it is in close proximity to culti- 

 vated land. 



In ancient times the latex of the fig 

 was sup]3osed to be an efficacious 

 remedy in cases of snake and scorpion 

 bites. We are not aware that it is 

 still used in such cases, although the 

 fellaheen often apply it as a remedy 

 for skin diseases. 



Miscegenation in Hawaii 



Out of 210 American grooms married 

 in Hawaii during 1914, only 53.3% 

 married American women, 11.9% mar- 

 ried Caucasian-Hawaiian women, 11.9% 

 married Portuguese women, 5.2% mar- 

 ried full-blood Hawaiian women, 1.9% 

 married Chinese-Hawaiian women, 1.4% 

 married full-blood Chinese women, 1.9% 

 married Porto Rican women, and the 

 remainder included British, Fili])ino, 



French, Gennan, Japanese, Mexican- 

 Portuguese, Norwegian, Spanish and 

 Swedish women. Dr. Frederick L. 

 Hoffman, who publishes these figures 

 in a pamphlet on The Sanitary Progress 

 and Vital Statistics of Hawaii, says all 

 observations show that the intermix- 

 ture of native women with full-blood 

 Chinese has i^roduced a physically and 

 morally superior type. 



Eugenics as the Basis of Sociology 



THE PHYSICAL BASIS OF SOCIETY, by 

 Carl Kclsev, Professor of Sociology, University 

 of Pennsylvania. Pp. 406. Price, $2.00 net. 

 New York: D. Ajjplcton & Co., 1916. 



As an introduction to the study of 

 sociology. Prof. Kelsey has compiled 

 what is practically a text -book of 

 eugenics. He has usually followed good 

 authorities and (excepting the weak 

 chapter on racial differences) his biology 

 is on the whole sound. One wishes 



that Prof. Kelsey had used his sociologi- 

 cal knowledge to make an original con- 

 tribution to applied eugenics: perhaps 

 he will do so in a future volume. The 

 present book will interest biologists as 

 showing what parts of their work most 

 impress a sympathetic sociologist; and 

 if used by other sociologists as it is by 

 the author, to introduce a course in 

 sociology, it will l)e of muc-h value in 

 giving the student the ])r()i)er start. 



Huntington's Chorea and Heredity 



Huntington's Chorea is a form of 

 mental deterioration associated with 

 nervous tremors of the body. Dr. 

 C. B. Davenport and Dr. Elizabeth 

 Muncey have completed a study of 

 nearly one thousand cases, all of which 

 trace Ijack to six individuals, and ]jul)lish 

 their results as Bulletin No. 17 of the 

 Eugenics Record Office. The defect is 



highly hereditary, seldom if ever skip- 

 l)ing a generation, and is associated with 

 other nervous traits. It does not seem 

 to be dying out through marriage selec- 

 tion; moreover, new sources are coming 

 into the United States at j^resent 

 through immigration. State and fed- 

 eral action to prevent the increase of 

 this serious taint appears to be justified. 



Meeting on Saturday Not Open to Public 



Dr. C. B. Daven])ort writes that, 

 because of the limited accommcjdations 

 at the Carnegie Institution's Station in 



Cold Si)ring Harbor, Long Island, invita- 

 tion to visit it on Saturday, December 30, 

 is liniilcd to the Society of NaturaHsts. 



