ep NATURE 
[May 25, 1899 
the struggle for existence. So far as we have been able to 
ascertain, although much has been written as to the fitness of 
the hand for its tasks, no attempt has ever been made to ascer- 
tain quantitatively the degree of correlation of its parts.’ Hence 
our first object was to get some idea of the correlation of the 
parts of the hand from an easily measured and in practice im- 
portant part. Is the hand as highly correlated as the long 
bones, or as loosely correlated as the parts of the skull, or does 
it occupy some intermediate position like that of strength to 
stature? We accordingly selected as an easily measured but 
still important character the first joint of the fingers. The 
measurement therefore covers, besides the fleshy parts, the head 
of the metacarpal bone together with the proximal phalange. 
It is thus not anatomically simple, but it probably has much 
importance for the fitness of the hand, and is a measurement 
which with a little care can be made with considerable accuracy. 
Our measurements were taken with a small boxwood spanner 
graduated to 1/10 inch, and provided with a vernier, so that the 
readings could be nominally made to 1/100 inch. Both the 
hands of 551 women were measured. 
Relative Size of the Hands.—We conclude that the first finger 
joints in the right hand are very sensibly larger than in the left. 
In every case there is a difference of about 0°02, and this is 
many times larger than the probable error of the difference, 7.¢. 
a/2 x 07003 about. 
We might, therefore, assert that the right hand is larger than 
the left. This conclusion is directly opposed to that of W. 
Pfitzner; he asserts that there is no quantitative difference 
between right and left for the simple anatomical parts of the 
hand skeleton. His own measurements, however, really do 
show such a sensible difference for the fvs¢ phalange. All then 
we can say as yet is that the first joint and the first phalange 
are larger in the right than in the left hand of women. We 
prefer to state no more sweeping view at present as to other 
parts of the hand, however strong our private opinion may be. 
Variability of the Hand.—If we were to judge by absolute 
variations the index and middle fingers of the right hand are 
less, the ring and little fingers more variable, than those of the 
left hand. But if we use the more reasonable coefficient of vari- 
ation, we find that all the first joints for the left hand are more 
variable than the corresponding joints for the right hard, and 
this is precisely what we might expect if there be greater adapt- 
ation by selection, or by use of the right hand. The greater 
the selection, the less the variability. 
In the left hand the relative order of variability (as measured 
by the coefficient of variation) is that of the relative size of 
the fingers; in the right hand this 1s slightly modified. It 
would appear that in the right hand the index finger is less 
variable than the middle finger. The general order of utility of 
the fingers would appear to be middle finger, index finger, ring 
finger, little finger, and this exactly agrees with the order of 
increasing variability in the left hand. The only doubt about 
this order appears in the relative efficiency and utility of 
the middle and index fingers, which have a different order of 
variability in the right hand. 
As all our subjects belonged to the educated classes, it is just 
possible that the great use of the right hand index finger in 
writing has something to do with this diversity. 
Correlation of the First Finger Jotints.—The conclusions 
reached are: (1) The hand is a very highly correlated organ, 
far more highly correlated than the skull, and even somewhat 
more so than the long bones. We are accustomed to give man 
precedence in life on account of his brain power, and it might, 
perhaps, be thought that the brain case would be highly corre- 
lated in its parts. Yet what we find is that the skull is ex- 
tremely individual, its correlations are low, and a man could be 
readily identified by head measurements, whereas hand measure- 
ments would be immensely less safe. In other words, the hand, 
so far as its dimensions go (we put aside markings), is far closer 
to a type than the skull. 
(2) The parts of the left hand are distinctly more closely cor- 
related than those of the right. The only exception is the cor- 
relation of right hand middle and little fingers, which is greater 
than that of left hand middle and index fingers; but the 
difference here is considerably less than the probable error 
of the difference, and the general rule appears to be quite 
1 Here, as in other cases, both zoologists and anatomists have since the 
days of Cuvier, talked a good deal about correlation, but would even to-day 
be unable to reconstruct, with anything like gwantztative accuracy, a 
skeleton from a long bone, a hand from a finger joint, or a skull from a 
fragment. 
NO. 1543, VOL. 60] 
certain. Now this is a most remarkable result; but, again, 
how is it to be interpreted? Is it a result of selection or a use 
effect? For the same organ it is a rule that the greater the 
selection the less the variability and the less the correlation. 
Exceptions there can be, which will be discussed elsewhere, but 
this appears to be the general rule. Is the less variability and 
correlation of the right hand a result of greater selection, or is 
it after all a result of use? If the latter, we see how hopeless it 
is to associate constancy of correlation, or even of regression 
coefficients, with the idea of local races. Indeed the further we 
enter into the quantitative side of the problem of evolution the 
more important appears the determination of the influence of 
growth and use on both variability and correlation. Why is 
the right hand less variable and less highly correlated than the 
left? Is the answer the same as to the question: Why is 
civilised man less variable and less highly correlated than 
civilised woman ? 
(3) The order of correlation of the first finger joints is iden- 
tical for both hands. This order is as follows :— 
(a) The external fingers have the least correlation and the 
little finger always less than the index. 
(6) A finger has always more correlation with a second than 
with any other finger from which it is separated by the 
second. 
(4) The correlation between corresponding members on both 
sides is discussed. It is found that again the extreme pairs 
show least correlation, and the pair of middle fingers higher 
correlation than the pair of ring fingers. 
It is noted that the correlation between corresponding long 
bones (with the possible exception of that of the radii which is 
within the probable error of the value for the middle fingers) 
is greater than that between corresponding parts of the two 
hands. 
The memoir indicates how important it is that the effect of use 
on both variation and correlation should be determined. It sug- 
gests that use may have differentiated in this manner the right 
from the left hand. But if it has affected variability and corre- 
lation here, how far can we look upon these quantities in local 
races as characteristic of the intensity of selection? The - 
memoir concludes with numerical tables giving the results of the 
measurements made. 
May 4.—‘‘ Onygena eguina (Willd.): a Horn destroying 
Fungus.” By H. Marshall Ward, D.Sc., F.R.S., Professor 
of Botany in the University of Cambridge. 
The genus Onygena comprises half a dozen species of fungi, 
all very imperfectly known, remarkable for their growth on 
feathers, hair, horn, hoofs, &c., on which their sporocarps 
appear as drum-stick shaped bodies: 5-10 mm. high. The 
author has recently investigated the life-history of the above 
species, growing on a cow’s horn, and has not only verified what 
little was known as to its structure, but has been able to 
cultivate the fungus and trace its course of life, neither of which 
had been done before, and to supply some details of its action on 
the horn. 
The principal new points concern the development of the 
sporophores, which arise as domed or club-shaped masses of 
hyphze and stand up into the air covered with a glistening white 
powder. Closer investigation shows this to consist of a hitherto 
undiscovered form of spores—chlamydospores— developed at the 
free ends of the up-growing hyphz. The details of their struc- 
ture and development are fully described, and their spore nature 
proved by culture in hanging drops. The germination, growth 
into mycelia, and peculiar biology of these hitherto unknown 
spores were followed in detail, and in some cases new crops of 
chlamydospores obtained direct in the cultures. 
The development of the peridium, asci, and ascospores were 
also followed in detail, and for the first time. 
No one had hitherto been able to trace the germination o1 
these ascospores—the only spores previously known in these fungi 
—and De Bary expressly stated his failure to do it. The author 
finds that they require digesting in gastric juice. By using arti- 
ficial gastric juice, and employing glue and other products of 
hydrolysis of horn, the details of germination and growth into 
mycelia, capable of infecting horn, were traced step by step 
under the microscope and fully described. 
The author also found that gastric digestion similarly promotes 
the germination of the chlamydospores, and in both cases has 
not only traced the germination step by step, but has made 
measurements of the growth of the mycelium, induced the 
formation of chlamydospores on the mycelium again, and by 
