BY JOHN THOMSON, M.B. 47 



colour names. He struck an attitude, ati least I thought he did, 

 and picking up a skein thundered " this is the only green one 

 in the pack." He chose a brown. I havn't seen him since. 



Examinee 19 was not a railway candidate but a very distin- 

 guished personage who permitted me to test his colour sense on 

 two or three occasions. Shortly after his arrival in Brisbane he 

 gave himself away by saying to a distinguished official at a, 

 garden party " Who is that lady with the green feather in her 

 hat ? " The feather was red ! He was heard to speak of the 

 lovely purple- violet blossoms of the jacaranda as red ; and he 

 admitted to me that he saw no difference in colour between the 

 turkey-red bracts and the green leaves of the poinsettia. He 

 was totally green-blind, and insisted to the last that skeins 8 

 and 10, both brown, were green. His wife who knew of his 

 colour defect told me his taste was exquisite, and that when he 

 criticised the appointments of his own table and the toilettes of 

 his guests he was invariably correct. 



Suggestions 



for the employment of coloured skeins in testing vision may be 

 of value. I am not aware that any of these are to be found in 

 any Manual or are laid down in any set of Regulations, but they 

 are the result of my experience in testing 1128 candidates ; I 

 am sure they are fair as between the examined and the examiner. 

 I submit them for what they are worth. 



1. The examination should be conducted in daylight. 



2. The skeins should be spread on a white or black back- 



ground ; a towel or white table cover, 



(rt.) A many-coloured table cloth, cushion, or curtain 

 should not be used as a background ; the colours 

 might be confused. 



3. Candidates should be given time and dealt with patiently. 



{((,) The majority select quickly. 



(h.) Some seem stupid or get confused or fail to 

 understand what is expected of them. 



(r.) A few get nervous and seem to imagine a trick is 

 being played or that there is something mystic 

 about the test. 



(tL) Those who are colour-blind soon betray themselves. 



