Bie REPORTS ON THE STATH OF SCIENCE. 
tlie Conference might express an opinion, suggested that the British Asso- 
ciation should be the central body to encourage and direct local societies, that 
a circular should be sent to all such societies, whether in correspondence or not, 
suggesting that discoveries or original work should be reported to the British 
Association, and asking that schoolmasters and children and employers of 
labour should be desired to report any matter of interest to the local society. 
Myr. F. Balfour Browne gave notice that he intended to bring up before 
the next meeting of the British Association a proposal that a committee of 
biologists should be formed to recommend the adoption of a definite system 
on which collectors should record their captures. The real use of the 
collectors’ list is for the student of distribution, and if all the records were 
made on a definite system the regional surveys would be of definite use. The 
county and vice-county system, as laid down by H. C. Watson (Cybele 
Britannica), was probably the best, but there were several modifications of 
it used by different investigators, and it was necessary that some one form 
of it should be officially recognised. If this were done the regional surveys 
would be really valuable, and since all branches of biology would be worked 
on the same basis, the inter-relationships of the various subjects could be 
brought out. 
Mr. John Gray (Royal Anthropological Institute) introduced the 
following subject :— 
National Anthropometry: its Objects, Methods, and Local Organisation, 
National anthropometry may be described, as far as we are concerned, 
as the study by exact measurements of the origin, racial composition, and 
evolution of the British nation. 
A. time comes in the history of every science when an attempt is made to 
measure the somewhat vague qualities with which perforce the infant 
science is content to deal. ‘The qualitative science becomes quantitative. 
Such a change has already taken place in such sciences as chemistry. 
The change has begun, though it is yet far from complete, in the science 
of anthropology. We may define anthropometry as quantitative anthro- 
pology. 
We can measure with great precision the bodily structure of man, for 
example—his weight, height, head, and other anatomical dimensions— 
we can also measure with fair precision his physiological functions, such 
as the acuity of vision and hearing, tactile sensibility and muscular power ; 
but a beginning has only just been made by the anthropologist in the exact 
measurement of the higher mental functions. These last promise to be the 
most important of all the departments of anthropometry. 
The objects of national anthropometry may be roughly subdivided into— 
lirstly, those of purely scientific interest, such as questions of the origin 
and racial composition of our people. 
Secondly, those of more utilitarian interest, such as the present-day evolu- 
tion of our people, and the probable changes that may be brought about by the 
new conditions of modern life. 
The value of anthropometry in identifying the various racial elements 
in our population, in ascertaining approximately the epochs of their settle- 
ment in this country, and in determining their affinities with other races, 
may, I think, best be explained by shortly describing some of the results that 
have already been achieved. 
It is now pretty generally accepted among anthropologists that the 
average physical characters of a people tend to remain constant for vast 
periods ef time if there is no admixture with other races and no great 
changes of the environment. In Egypt, for example, it has been proved by 
measurement that the average head-dimensions of the peasantry have 
remained practically constant for some ten thousand years. 
