TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION H. 787 



lian race could bo estimated by tlie readiness with which it entered into athletic 

 vxerci.ses, ar.d the result of this tht'V had nil seen in the number of scullinp cham- 

 pions and cricket teams which had recently visited tliis country. Australia still 

 depended upon the mother country for the most responsible posts to be filled, but 

 the apparent barrenness of the Australian intellect did not point to natural in- 

 capacity. Kegardin-jf the longevity of the individual, statistics were rather interfered 

 with by the disturbing efl'ect of immigration, yet the return showed that the 

 number of old people living there had been increasing. On the subject of the 

 vitality of the JJritish race in New South "Wales, the writer pointed out that 

 between the years IS"! and 1881 the population of New South Wales was increased 

 by 247,487, being at the rate of 49-1 per cent, on the population existing in 1871, 

 or at the rate of 481 per cent, per annum. Practically, therefore, the population 

 was increasing through the excess of births over deaths, which he thought showed 

 that the vitality of the race had not been diminished by transplantation to Aus- 

 tralia. Giving his opinion, after many years' residence in Australia, the writer .said 

 that the -white race there showed no signs of deterioration either physically or 

 mentally, and while a sufliciently long time had not yet elapsed to enable them to 

 tell what manner of men Australians will be, yet they could safely conjecture that 

 they would prove themselves worthy of their ancestors. 



10. Observations on the Natural Colour of the Skin in certain, Oriental 

 Races. By Dr. Beddoe, F.B.8., President Anthr. Inst. 



The author made numerous observations of this kind in the course of a voyage 

 round the world. In most cases he found the colour of tlie clothed and protected 

 body much lighter than is generally supposed. The capacity to tan, or become 

 darker by ex^)osure, varies much ; thus, the Melauesians are naturally lighter than 

 the Australians, but they burn much blacker. 



11. Th 



e Normal Temperature of Soudanese, Negroe?, and Europeans in, 

 Tropical Africa. By R. W. Felkin, M.B., F.E.S.E. 



Observations made in 1878-81 apparently showed that the normal temperature 

 of Soudanese, negroes, and Europeans varied from the usually accepted normal 

 temperature of 98°-6 F. 



After detailing the observations the writer stated his conclusions as follows. 

 The normal temperature of Eui-opeans who had resided in tropical Africa between 

 Khartoum and the equator for over four years was 99^' 1 F. ; the normal tem- 

 perature of ]']uropeans in the same region, none of whom had been more than two 

 years in Africa, 99°-5 F. ; the normal temperature of Soudanese (Arabs), 99° F. ; 

 that of negroes living between the equator and 10° N. lat., and on the east coast 

 of tropical Africa, average of 600 observations, 97°'8 F. Note. — All the obser- 

 vations were made two hours after eating, the individual at rest in the shade, with 

 the thermometer in the axilla. 



12. The Differences of Sensibility between Europmns and Nejroes, and the 

 Effect of Education in increasing the Sensibility of Nejroes.^ By 

 R. W. Felkin, M.D., F.B.S.E. 



It is very generally supposed that negroes feel pain to a less degree than 

 luiropeans. In investigating this subject the writer tested tlie power of .sensation 

 as shown by the capacity for appreciating the two points of a compass in various 

 regions of the body, comparing the results with the normal tactile sensation of 

 ICuropeans as given by Landois and Stirling. 



Tactile .sensation was tested in twenty-six parts of the body on loO negroes 

 and on 30 Soudanese (Arabs). An example will best summarise the results of the 



• Tublished in c.xtemo in the Journal of the Anthrojwlojical Institute. 



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