TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION H. 509 



were people of a mixed race, and quite as dissimilar from each other as are the 

 people occupying the district to-day. Of East Yorkshire it can certainly not be 

 said that a purely long-headed or short-headed race first occupied the district. 



2. The Interpretation of Division of the Parietal Bone as observed in the 

 Crania of certain Primates. By Professor C. J. Patten, Sc.D. 



Of recent years several specimens of the crania of primates illustrating division 

 of the parietals have been observed and figured. With the aid of such, coupled 

 with a diligent inquiry into the development of the human parietal bone, our 

 knowledge on the subject has no doubt considerably increased ; but it seems that 

 unless we can get further evidence from the condition of the contained brain we 

 are much handicapped in attempting to put forward an interpretation as to the 

 causes of parietal division. This is especially so where in the dry skull patho- 

 logical conditions (perhaps at an earlier stage of development more apparent) are 

 only faintly discernible, and where they may be said to have passed almost with- 

 out a line of demarcation into what one might conveniently term a condition of 

 disturbed morphogenesis. However, as many specimens of dry skulls, minus their 

 brains, recently examined afford fairly positive evidence of an abnormal process 

 of development, the trend of opinion is that the supposed morphological signifi- 

 cance assigned to the segments of divided parietals", together with the supposed 

 atavistic value attached to the same segments, are hypotheses which are losing 

 ground. 



3. Suggestions for an Imperial Bureau of Anthropology. 

 (i) Anthropometry. By John Gray, B.Sc. 



The Royal Anthropological Institute presented to the members of the last 

 Imperial Conference a memorial asking for their support in the establishment 

 of an Imperial Bureau of Anthropology. The object of this Bureau would be 

 to direct and control the collection and collation of important data about the 

 physical and mental characters of the many races living within the confines of the 

 British Empire. The constitution of the Bureau would be representative. 



The rapid progress of industrialism is producing profound changes in the 

 conditions of life of the great mass of our population. During the last fifty 

 years the whole increase of our population has been absorbed by our great towns 

 and cities. A great increase has taken place in the employment of women in 

 factories and in business which will injuriously affect the natural vigour and 

 upbringing of the children of succeeding generations. 



Notwithstanding the occurrence of these vital changes in the national phy- 

 sique, we have no institution for taking stock periodically of the physical and 

 mental characters of the people. Such an institution was recommended by the 

 Physical Deterioration Committee in 1903, and has received the approval of the 

 leading statesmen of all parties, but has not yet received any financial support. 

 Germany, Denmark, the United States, and other countries have adopted many of 

 the recommendations of the scientists of this country ; in Great Britain their value 

 has yet to be fully recognised. 



(ii) Ethnography. By T. C. Hodson. 



The author began by giving instances of Government action with regard to 

 Ethnographic Surveys, citing, amongst others, the inauguration of the Ethno- 

 graphical Survey of India, of the survey of the tribes of Assam, the work 

 done by Dr. Seligmann for the Governments of Ceylon and the Sudan, and the 

 survey recently undertaken by the Canadian Government as the outcome of 

 representations made by the British Association. 



But in all these, admirable though they are, there is lacking the essential 

 of unity of purpose and method. It is to provide this unity of purpose and 

 method, to stimulate constantly the attention of Government Departments, and 



