Personal Identification and Description 213 



patterns. I transcribe two-thirds of it for the benefit of those who can no 

 longer obtain Galton's original work*. 



"The chief peculiarities of individual Arches, Loops and Whorls having now been described, 

 it becomes easy to discuss the frontiers of the primary classes and the debatable country 

 between them. 



"A to L [i.e. Arch to Loop]. The frontier between A and L ceases to be distinct at the point 

 where A is just short of developing into a nascent loop. In the Figures 169 to 172 that point 

 is just, but only just passed, so all those figures should count as loops with an a suffixed. 

 The debatable ground lies between these and unmistakable arches, and in that debatable 

 ground, A is held to predominate over L under any one of the following conditions: 



" 1. When the loop is formed by no more than one complete bend or staple, which may, 

 however, be perfectly distinct, and may also enclose a rod (Fig. 21). 



"2. When it consists of two or even three imperfect bends (Figs. 19, 20), especially if they 

 converge and unite. 



"3. Offsets at acute angles (Fig. 10) from the same ridge or from the same furrow do not 

 rank as heads to loops. 



"4. When two symmetrically disposed loops are enclosed in the same curved ridge 

 (Figs. 173, 174) they are counted as an imperfect form of tented arch, being noted as A with 

 the suffix t or tur. 



" Generally speaking A is held to predominate whenever the pattern has no continuous 

 contour, even though there may be a fairly distinct delta (Fig. 20), but it would be proper to 

 unite the suffix I to this." (pp. 108-9.) 



Clearly since Arches form a relatively small group, it would be to the 

 advantage of the indexer, if frontier cases were allotted as far as possible to 

 Arches. 



"A to W [i.e. Arch to Whorl]. Between A and W a very small, or else an imperfect circle, 

 or dot sometimes appears between two ridges of a pattern which is an arch in all other respects 

 (Figs. 15, 17 and perhaps 18, which is ambiguous, and might be called a loop). If the diameter 

 of the whorl does not exceed the width of one of the adjacent ridge intervals, the pattern 

 does not lose the right to be called an A, but should for distinction's sake have a y suffixed 

 to it. W is certainly reached when the little circle contains a central dot as in Fig. 175 which 

 I should call Wky. 



" L to W [i.e. Loop to Whorl]. Between L and W a large class of transitional cases have 

 been sufficiently discussed in speaking of complete and incomplete circuits!. See Figs. 180-183. 



"The specimens Figs. 176 to 179 show the relationships between whorls to which the 

 suffix sb is applied (Fig. 178), with loops. In Fig. 176 we see a loop that throws off a curious 

 crest from the upper part of its outline, and which is here and elsewhere a striking appear- 

 ance; but in Fig. 177 the same peculiarity is much less distinct, while the number of cases that 

 exist between extreme distinctness and extreme indistinctness is so great that crests are not 

 allowed to have a suffix. Their conspicuousness in individual cases certainly depends to a 

 considerable degree on the printing, whether more or less ink and pressure are used. When, 

 however, the ridges cease to be given off from the outside of the contour of the loop, and 

 recurve upon themselves as in Fig. 178, forming a blunted end to that part of the pattern, the 

 result is a well-defined whorl. Another intermediate form between a loop and a whorl is produced 

 in another way, and is recorded by vy as already explained." (pp. 109-10.) [See our p. 206.] 



Lastly Galton refers to the case in which a real whorl may be mistaken 

 for a loop because enough of the finger ridges have not been imprinted by 

 rolling. This is especially a danger with "dabbed" prints. See our Plate 



Chapter VII (pp. 111-115) is entitled Suggested Improvements. Here, 

 as I have said, Galton gives up his special finger arrangement in favour of the 



* I have retained Galton's figure numbers, and the figures to which he refers will be found 

 on our Plates XXIII— XXX. 

 t See our p. 204 footnote. 



