i?o 



NATURE 



[July 28, 1910 



basi-facial angle, a measurement which was independently 

 arrived at by Dr. Rivet (L'Anthropologie, xx., 1909, pp. 

 3S> '75)- The majority of the crania exhibit one of the 

 two main forms of artificial deformation, i.e. occipital 

 flattening, or cradle-board compression, and fronto-occipital 

 flattening (" flat-head " deformation). Each variety pre- 

 dominates in, but is not limited to, a certain type of 

 people, thus indicating an exchange of customs. 



The predominating type is that of the brachycephals, who 

 range in stature from moderate to well developed, with 

 good, though not pronounced, muscular development. They 

 were probably the people among whom prevailed, and who 

 communicated to their neighbours, the intentional fronto- 

 occipital deformation. The other type, less well repre- 

 sented, indicates Indians of stature and strength similar 

 to those of the people just mentioned, but with oblong, 

 mesocephalic to dolichocephalic skulls. They were, in all 

 probability, remnants of a relatively large local strain of 

 dolichocephals mixed with the more numerous round- 

 headed people. The physical characters of these people 

 approach, on the one hand, those of the more northerly 

 tribes of Missouri, Illinois, and parts of Tennessee and 

 Kentucky, and, on the other, those of the more westerly 

 and south-westerly tribes, represented in northern Texas 



Bottle from Glendora, Ou 



Valley, La. 



and especially by the oblong-headed type among the Pueblo 

 Indians. The prevalent occipital flattening of the skull 

 would point likewise to a connection with the south-west 

 and the north-east. In addition, a few crania from these 

 two States resemble very closely the subtype of the eastern 

 Algonquians. A. C. Haddon. 



THE TABULATION OF VITAL STATISTICS. 

 A TTENTION has so often been directed in these 

 ■^ columns to the desirability of the adoption of more 

 scientific methods in our Government departments that it 

 gives us pleasure to notice the paper which was read by 

 Dr. T. H. C. Stevenson before the Royal Statistical Society 

 on June 21. Dr. Stevenson was appointed last year Super- 

 intendent of Statistics in the General Register Office for 

 England and Wales, and his paper on suggested lines of 

 advance in English vital statistics is, in effect, an outline 

 of all the changes which it is proposed shortly to introduce 

 in the mode of compilation of the vital statistics issued 

 from that office, and of the mode in which it is proposed 

 ;u compile certain tables in the census reports, more 



especially those relating to the new data to be obtained in 

 191 1 (see Nature for -April 7, p. 152). 



That a civil servant should, with the approval of his 

 official superiors, submit for criticism to a scientific society, 

 before their final adoption, a statement of changes which 

 it is proposed to introduce is, we believe, a course wholly 

 without precedent, and deserves the warmest commenda- 

 tion. Taken in conjunction with the acceptance by the 

 Registrar General, Mr. Bernard Mallet, of many of the 

 suggestions made by the Statistical Society for the 

 improvement of the census, the course augurs well for the 

 thoroughly scientific spirit in which his office will be 

 conducted. 



The matter of Dr. Stevenson's paper is too detailed for 

 abstraction in these columns, but it may be noted that it 

 is intended in future to tabulate vital statistics by adminis- 

 trative instead of by registration districts, and that the 

 data as to number of children which will be obtained at 

 the next census will be tabulated, not only for different 

 occupations of father, as suggested in the article in this 

 journal to which reference is made above, but also by the 

 number of rooms occupied or the number of servants 

 employed, so as more clearly to distinguish the different 

 social strata. It is also proposed to introduce the card- 

 system for vital statistics and for census work, and to use 

 mechanical methods for sorting and counting the cards. 

 The frankness with which Dr. Stevenson points out difficul- 

 ties and asks for suggestions is one of the most pleasing 

 features of a paper on which he can be unreservedly con- 

 gratulated. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Entrance scholarships have been awarded at Bedford 

 College for Women (University of London), as follows : — 

 Pfeiffer scholarship in science (value 50/. a year for three 

 years) to Miss W. R. Smyth, of the North London 

 Collegiate School ; Henry Tate scholarship in science (value 

 5oZ. a year for three years) to Miss F. M. Lunniss, of the 

 Cambridge and County School. 



With the view of securing uniformity in the statistics 

 concerning higher education, the Carnegie Foundation for 

 the Advancement of Teaching has issued, as Bulletin 

 No. 3, a series of standard forms for financial reports of 

 colleges, universities, and technical schools. The forms as 

 they are published are the result of a prolonged inquiry con- 

 cerning the practice of universities and colleges in the 

 United States in the rendering of public financial state- 

 ments of their receipts and expenditures. The object of the 

 forms is to make it easy for students of education and 

 others to answer the questions. What is the total income 

 of a given institution for the year? What is its annual 

 expenditure? What are the assets at the end of the year? 

 The forms mav be commended to the attention of officials 

 who are responsible for preparing balance sheets and other 

 statistics in connection with universities and colleges in this 

 country. 



Mr. Sidney Ball, fellow and senior tutor of St. John's 

 College, Oxford, and Prof. I. Gollancz, professor of English 

 at King's College, London, have been elected the first 

 fellows of the English foundation of the .A.K. travelling 

 scholarships. It may be remembered that these fellow- 

 ships, each of the value of 660/., were recently founded in 

 this country by Mr. Albert Kahn, of Paris, to enable the 

 fellows to travel round the world. The object of the 

 founder is that persons selected from the first rank of those 

 engaged, in whatever way, in the education of the nation 

 may become better qualified to teach and to take part in 

 the' instruction and education of their fellow-countrymen. 

 The trustees are the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief 

 Justice, the Speaker, Lord Avebury (nominated by the 

 founder), and the principal of the University of London 

 (Dr. Miers), the last-mentioned being honorary secretary to 

 the trustees. The affairs of the trust are administered at 

 the University of London. 



The current issue of the Reading University College 

 Review contains several articles of interest. An editorial 



NO. 2126, VOL. 84] 



