100 
NATURE 
th 
[OcroBER 5, 1916 © 
in 1815, three generations being passed under review. 
Forty individuals are not recorded to have shown anti- 
social traits, but the remainder all failed in self-control, 
many being dishonest, and tending to alcoholism, or 
to profligacy, forty-one of these being ‘‘ obviously a 
burden to society.’’ These objectionable features were 
most pronounced in the case of offspring of a marriage 
of first cousins; Prof. Davenport’s conclusion that 
violence of temper is a ‘‘dominant” character is con- 
firmed, as in this family it was not found to ‘‘skip a 
generation." Most thoughtful readers of the bulletin 
will agree with the suggestion at the end of the pre- 
face that ‘tunless society steps in and trains the train- 
able and segregates the uncontrollable, things will go 
from bad to worse.” 
Human endowments of a more pleasing kind are 
discussed by Dr. H. Drinkwater in a paper entitled 
“Inheritance of Artistic and Musical Ability,’’? pub- 
lished in the last number of the Journal of Genetics 
(v., No. 4). He gives pedigrees—extending in some 
cases over four generations—of several families of 
artists and musicians, which indicate that where both 
parents are talented all the children inherit the talent, 
while a non-artistic or non-musical pair never have 
talented offspring. Hence he infers that artistic. or 
musical ability is a recessive Mendelian character. 
When only one parent is musical, the number of 
children showing the recessive character may be more 
than the 50 per cent. required by the theory, but the 
records are too few for this to be regarded as a fatal 
difficulty to Dr. Drinkwater’s interpretation. It will, 
however, be surprising if further research confirms the 
view that the complex nervous specialisation which 
must be supposed to accompany marked artistic or 
musical ability is determined by a simple genetic factor 
comparable with that which settles the colour of the 
eyes. 
"To the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society (vol. 
Ixxix., part 2) Major Leonard Darwin contributes a 
paper on the inquiries needed after the war in connec- 
tion with eugenics. He dwells on the selection of the 
best men generally for the fighting-line, shows that a 
higher death-rate may be expected to affect the more 
daring and self-sacrificing, and points out the mean- 
ing for the nation’s future of the abnormally heavy 
losses among officers. His plea for a full investigation 
of the problem and of possible remedial measures may 
meet with a disappointing response, but nobody can 
read his paper and the report of the subsequent dis- 
cussion—especially after studying the American bulletin 
summarised above—without realising the ‘reversed 
selective action” of the present world-conflict, and 
perceiving how absolutely opposed to the biological 
principles enunciated by Major Darwin’s great father 
are those modern ‘‘ people that delight in war.” 
G. H. C. 
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT 
NEWCASTLE. 
SECTION C. 
GEOLOGY. 
OpENING AppRESS (ABRIDGED) BY Pror. W. S. Bout- 
TON, D.Sc., F.G.S., PRESIDENT OF THE SECTION. 
Ir we attempt to compare the growth of applied 
geology in Britain with that, say, in the United States 
of America, or even in our great oe 
Dominions, or to appraise the knowledge of, an 
respect for, the facts and principles of geology as 
directly applicable to industry’ in these countries and 
in our own, or to compare the respective literatures on 
the subject, I think we shall have to confess that we 
have lagged far behind the position we ought by right 
NO. 2449, VOL. 98] 
of tradition and opportunities now to occupy. The 
vast natural resources of the countries 1 have named 
have doubtless stimulated a corresponding effort in 
their profitable development. But making due allow- — 
ance tor the fact that Britain is industrially mature as_ 
compared with these youthful communities, we cannot 
doubt that in this special branch of geology, however 
splendid our advances in others, we have been out-— 
stripped by our kinsmen abroad, 
To attempt an explanation of this comparative failure 
to apply etfectively the resources of geology to prac- 
tical affairs would demand a critical analysis of the 
whole position of science in relation to industry and 
education which is being so vigorously debated by 
public men to-day. It is unquestionably due, in no | 
small measure, to our ignorance and neglect of, and 
consequent indifference to, science in general, more 
especially on the part of our governing classes. This 
war, with all its material waste and mental anguish, 
may bring at least some compensation if it finally — 
rouses us from complacence and teaches us to utilise 
more fully the highly trained and specialised intelli- 
gence of the nation. 
Here I digress for a moment to lay stress upon a 
great and needless loss of valuable and detailed know- 
ledge of our Coal Measure geology. It is well known 
that the Home Office Regulations demand that plans of 
workings in the different seams at a colliery shall be 
made and maintained by the colliery officials; and that 
on the abandonment of the mine copies of such plans 
shall be kept at the Mines Department of the Home 
Office for future reference. For ten years, however, 
they are regarded as confidential. Such information is 
recorded primarily with a view to the prevention of 
accidents due to inrushes of water and accumulations 
of gas. : 
Unfortunately, as mining men can testify, the plans 
are often woefully incomplete, inaccurate, and posi- 
tively misleading as regards such features as faults, 
rolls, wash-outs, and so forth, and this is notoriously 
so along the margin of the plans where workings have 
been abandoned. Cases have been brought to my 
notice where plans of old workings have been consulted 
when adjacent ground was about to be explored, and 
afterwards the plans have proved to be grossly in- 
accurate, with the consequent risk of serious economic — 
waste. I believe this unfortunate state of things is 
partly the effect of the complete official severance of 
the Geological Survey and the Mines Department of 
the Home Office. When the Geological Survey was 
first established, and for many years afterwards, a 
Mining Record Office for the collection and registration 
of all plans relating to mining operations was attached 
to it; but afterwards the Mining Record Office was 
transferred to the Home Office. 
I would suggest that it ought to be made possible 
for all mining plans to be periodically inspected by 
Government officials with geological knowledge, not 
merely after the plans are deposited in a Government 
office, but during the working of the mine; so that, 
if desirable or necessary, the geological facts indicated 
by the mine-surveyor on the plan: can be tested and 
verified. If accurate and properly attested plans of old 
workings were always available, the opening up of 
new ground would be greatly facilitated and much 
waste of time and money would be avoided. 
Need for Systematic Survey by Deep Borings. 
When we turn our attention to the possible extension 
of the Coal Measures under the newer strata of South- 
Central England, the geological data at our disposal 
are lamentably and surprisingly few. Notwithstanding 
our eagerness to unravel the difficulties, and so to open 
up new fields for mining activity, very little positive 
