rORRESPONDIXG SOCIETIES. 867 



or of tho local scientific associatif)ns of Ireland. The admirable researches 

 already carried out by Irish societies on Irish antiquities and on Irish 

 history are universally known, and a committee under the direction of 

 these societies would be well fitted to carry out this desirable scheme. 

 In the !:!icotch survey it is proposed to note the name, age, sex, and birth- 

 place of each child, as well as the colour cliaracteristics. This has already 

 been done in the county of Aberdeen, and an analysis of the surnames 

 and their relationship to colour brought out some striking results. It does 

 not follow d j^riori that there is any general relationship of the one to 

 the other, but from an ethnological point of view it is highly desirable 

 to know whether there is any, and to what extent. If surnames gene- 

 rally show a tendency, as groups, to develop into natural varieties of the 

 population, this would point to the preservation of the leading character- 

 istics in families. The rapid development of statistical science is valuable 

 to the ethnologist, as the methods can be applied in many ways. An 

 important method is that of determining the variability or standard 

 deviation of a group from the average. If this is applied to colour and to 

 the measurements of other characteristics, we have the means at our dis- 

 posal of determining whether there has been mixing, and, relatively, to 

 what extent the admixture has taken place. Even the bare information 

 as to the frequency of particular surnames throughout Ii-eland is in itself 

 interesting. In Aberdeenshire is was found that the surname of Milne 

 was the most frequent, while the name of Smith had to occupy a second 

 place. Contrary to all expectation, only 14 per cent, of the names were 

 of Highland origin. The proposed survey, besides ascertaining the colour 

 characteristics, would determine the frequency of surnames in Ireland. 

 One would be able then to say what proportion was purely Irish, and 

 which Irish surnames were the most frequent, besides determining the 

 proportion and frequency of those of foreign origin. These are the leading 

 points in the plea I desire to put forward to-day, to institute a survey 

 of the colour characteristics of the school children of Ireland. Before 

 such a survey can be carried out it is essential that the co-operation of 

 the school teachers of Ireland should be secured. But I do not think 

 there will be any difficulty in this, seeing that the object is to increase 

 our knowledge of the origin and characteristics of the Irish i-ace. This 

 is an object which, in addition to being scientific, may be fairly described 

 as a patriotic one ; and in patriotic feeling the Irish people have never 

 been found to be deficient. 



Dr. Henry Woodward suggested that the attention of the Royal Irish 

 Academy should be called to the importance of this subject, and that the 

 Academy be asked to take up the matter and provide necessary funds for 

 carrying it out. 



Mr. Bevan recommended that the attention of the Educational Depart- 

 ment should be called to the subject. 



After some further remarks the meeting was adjourned. 



Second Conference, September 16. 



Professor W. W. Watts, M.A., M.Sc, in the chair. 



The Chairman explained that the special business of this meeting was 

 to hear what the representatives of the various Sections of the Association 

 had to say with regard to the work of those Committees in which the 

 co-operation of the Corresponding Societies is desired. 



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