October 29; 1908] 



//A TURE 



681 



establishment of a permanent International Commission for 

 Electrical Standards. Pending - the appointment of. this 

 commission, Lord Rayleigh nominated a scientific coni-. 

 mittee of fifteen to advise as to the organisation of the 

 commission and to formulate a plan to direct such work 

 as may be necessary in connection with electrical standards 

 all over the world. In order to facilitate this work, 

 various standardising laboratories will be asked to cooperate 

 with the com.iiission, and to carry out, if possible, such 

 work as it may desire. The question was discussed of 

 enlarging the functions of the International Conference 

 on \Vcig;lits and Measures, so as to combine with it in 

 future electrical conferences, and the opinion of the confer- 

 ence was favourable to such a combination. 



It is hoped that the scientific committee will from time 

 to time modify the notes accompanying the specifications 

 as may be necessary, and that this will conduce to greater 

 uniformitv between the standards of the various countries. 



A^^IHROPOLOGY /IT THE BRITISH 



ASSOCIATION. 



ft 



T^HE meeting of the anthropological section of the 

 British Association was amongst the most successful 

 that has been held in recent years. The address of the 

 president. Prof. Ridgeway, which has been reported in 

 full in X.ATURE, has already led to considerable discussion 

 and promises to have a good effect, and the meeting, so 

 happily inaugurated, has been fruitful of much good work. 

 As has been noticeable for some time past, papers upon 

 archaeological subjects were by far the most numerous. 

 It is to be regretted that the communications in physical 

 anthropology, although of exceptional interest, were 

 hardly so numerous as those interested in the welfare of 

 the section would wish to see. It is to be feared Ihal 

 there is a tendency among physical anthropologists to 

 submit the results of their work to bodies other than the 

 association — a matter for regret in view both of the 

 importance of this branch of the study of man and of the 

 interest in the subject taken by the ordinary members of 

 the association, as shown by the size of the audience 

 usually attracted by such papers. 



The papers on physical anthropology included an 

 important communication by Prof. Symington, on certain 

 changes in the lateral wall of the cranium due to muscular 

 development. Observations were made upon the relation 

 of the temporal muscle to the skull and brain from birth 

 until adult life, and it was demonstrated that at birth the 

 muscle was small compared with the brain case, and that 

 consequently the temporal ridge was low at this period of 

 life. After birth the muscle grows more rapidly than 

 the lateral area of the skull, and gradually extends upon 

 it, so that the temporal ridge reaches a much higher level 

 ihan in the infant. This extension proceeds gradually, and 

 is associated with that of the jaws and teeth, being in- 

 dependent of that of the brain. 



In his paper on the significance of the so-called accessory 

 dental masses sometimes found in the upper jaw-bones. 

 Prof. Francis Dixon, from an examination of a series of 

 young Ibo skulls, came to the conclusion that these masses 

 do not represent the rudiments of aborted or vestigial 

 molars, corresponding to the third premolars of the 

 platyrrhine apes, but arise as unabsorbed portions of the 

 second milk molar. It is an interesting question why these 

 fragments are so frequently retained in certain races. 



An important contribution to our knowledge of the 

 Egyptian races was made by Prof. Elliot Smith in 

 his paper on anthropological work in Egypt. In his 

 opinion the present population is remarkablv uniform, the 

 range of variation being not appreciably greater than that 

 of any other known race. The infusion of negro blood is 

 very small in amount, and its effect is usuallv slighter than 

 is commonly supposed to -be the case. The negro influence 

 is least marked in pre-dynastic times. In Nubia, which 

 was always open to raids from the south, there is a much 

 more marked negro element, and the population of this 

 district may be said to be a hybrid one. There is also 

 evidence of a Levantine element in the Delta as early as 

 the time of the Pyramid builders. The Copts show the 



XC. 2035, VOL. -8] 



least resemblance to the ancient Egyptians, owing to inters, 

 marriage with immigrants of their own faith. 



Other physical papers were one on the adult brain, by 

 Prof. A. Eraser ; the report of the Cretan Committee, 

 which published a preliminary statement on Mr. Hawes's 

 examination of the crania ; and that of the .Anthropometric 

 Committee, which published a report giving the result 

 of its deliberations for the last seven years. 



.Another paper, by Prof. Elliot Smith, on the history of 

 nmmmification in Egypt, may be mentioned here. .After 

 showing how in pre-dynastic times the custom of burying 

 bodies in the sand led to their preservation, the author 

 suggested that the idea of preserving their dead by art 

 must have occurred to the Egyptians by observing this 

 phenomenon, more especially as the later custom of bury- 

 ing in coffins or rock-cut chambers led to the bodies' 

 dissolution. The desire was, of course, prompted by 

 religious beliefs. When exactly embalming was first 

 attempted there were no data to show. .Although the 

 earliest bodies known to have been embalmed are of the 

 tenth dynasty, there is some evidence to show that the 

 custom was' practised by the Pyramid builders. The 

 process of mummification reached its highest development 

 under the New Empire, although under the Middle Empire 

 the general technique was that which was followed for 

 the succeeding two thousand years. Further stages in the 

 art were followed by a period of rapid decline. 



.An important paper on Rajputs and Mahrattas was 

 contributed by Mr. Crooke, who criticised the views of 

 Sir Herbert Kisley on the origin of these peoples. On the 

 evidence of anthropometry, the Rajputs have been classed 

 as Indo-.Aryans, but the evidence rather points to the con- 

 clusion that they are a status group, compounded from 

 varied elements, and not an ethnical unit. The Mahrattas 

 similarly are a status group, the basis being the Dravidian 

 or indigenous Kunbi tribe. It was suggested that the 

 uniformity which characterises the physical character of 

 the peoples of the Punjab might be due to sexual selec- 

 tion and the influence of environment, which have to some 

 e.Ktent been overlooked by ethnologists. 



Dr. C. G. Scligmann gave an account of his recent 

 expedition to the Veddas of Ceylon, who may be divided 

 into three divisions, \'eddas, village Veddas, and coast 

 Veddas, characterised by different sociological features. 

 The coast Veddas have borrowed largely from the Tamils, 

 and the village Veddas have intermarried with the Sin- 

 halese, but in spite of this the clan organisation of the wild 

 Veddas largely remains. There is hardly any decorative 

 art. Their cult of the dead has given rise to pantomimic 

 dances, which are performed chiefly by men trained to 

 invoke the spirits. In language the Veddas speak 

 Sinhalese or Sinhalese dialects with the addition of a few 

 words not obviously Sinhalese. 



.A collection of Dinka laws, made by Captain O'SuUivan, 

 was read by Mr. E. Sidney Hartland. The Dinka govern- 

 ment is patriarchal with male descent. .\n interesting 

 custom is the legal fiction by which an heir is provided 

 when the male line has died out. 



The archa2ologicaI papers were of a very varied 

 character, but naturally a considerable part of the section's 

 work consisted in discussing Irish antiquities, and here 

 the section was at the advantage of meeting next door 

 to the National Museum where the Irish collections are 

 displayed, and Mr. Coffey and Mr. Armstrong, the keeper 

 and chief assistant of the Department of Irish .Antiquities, 

 were assiduous in their efforts in showing members the 

 magnificent collections which are in their charge. The 

 section, moreover, was fortunate in hearing papers from 

 both these gentlemen on subjects which they have made 

 their own. 



Thus Mr. Coffey presented three papers. The first, on 

 the distribution of the gold lunulaL', showed that whereas 

 in Ireland sixty of these characteristic Irish ornaments had 

 been found, only eighteen had been discovered in Great 

 Britain and the rest of western Europe. This distribution 

 points either to early raids on Ireland from the Continent 

 or to an early trade for gold. The Imudae may be dated 

 between 1200 B.C. and 1500 B.C. .Another paper by Mr. 

 Coffey was on the survival of La T^ne ornament on some 

 Celtic penannular brooches. These brooches may be safely 

 dated at not later than 700 .^.D., as there is a complete 



