272 EEPORT — 1881. 



10-11 feet, and a minor one at 2-3 feet. This latter curve is due to the 

 accession after the age of 13 years of an abnormal amount of imperfect 

 eyesight (short-sight and over-sight) which is too slight relatively to the 

 total number of observations to influence the averages. 39'4 per cent. 

 possess normal distant vision, while 30'1 per cent, are above, and 80'5 

 per cent, below the average. 



Astigmatism. — Tested by means of the letters composed of horizontal 

 and vertical lines, 682 per cent, of the Marlborough boys and masters are 

 returned as more or less astigmatic, or in the propoi'tion of nearly two to 

 one; the ratio of the horizontal to the vertical defect being 1 to 1*2. 

 Mr. Preston is not quite satisfied with the result of his observations on 

 this subject, as he had no means of checking the statements of the boys. 



Ignorance of the Names of Colours. — In a recent report on the 

 examination of 27,927 school-children for colour-blindness by Dr. Joy 

 Jeffries, in America, the following remark on this subject occurs : ' Ex- 

 perience has abundantly shown me that but very few hoys of the grammar or 

 higher schools are familiar with colour-names of even the primary colours, 

 and that still less can they correctly apply those names they do remember 

 when shown coloured objects. Although jirepared for this ignorance on 

 the part of the boys to a certain extent, I confess I was astonished to find 

 it so frequent and great. It seems almost impossible that a bright boy of 

 fourteen, not colour-blind, should not know the word green or be able to 

 apply it. Tet this does not give an extreme idea of the truth in reference 

 to the iojnorance of colour-names and their application among school- 

 boys.' Being desii'ous to know if our English public school-boys are as 

 ignorant of coloiir-names and their application as the boys of the same class 

 in America, I submitted the above sentence to JSIr. Pi-eston, and the 

 following is his reply : ' I cannot agree with Dr. Jeffries as to ignorance 

 of colour-names. By this I mean reds, greens, &c. Of course mauve, 

 magenta, &c., and what are called drapers' colours are not often known, 

 but I have certainly had no difficulty in getting the names of the common 

 colours. In fact it was quite the exception to meet with a boy who could 

 not tell the names fairly well. The whole of the boys who proved to be 

 colour-blind, except one, knew of their defect, and another boy was under 

 the impression that he was colour-blind, but turned out on examinatioii 

 not to be so.' 



Rejjort of the Gonnmittee, consisting of Professor Leone Levi, 

 Mr. Stephen Bourne, Mr. Bkittain, Dr. Hancock, Professor 

 Jevons, and Mr. F. P. Fellows, appointed for the purpose of 

 inquiring into and reporting on the present Appropriation of 

 Wages, and other sources of income, and considering hotv far it 

 is consonant ivith the economic progress of the people of the 

 United Kingdom. Drawn upj by Professor Leone Levi. 



If it were possible to ascertain, with any approach to accuracy, the present 

 appropriation of wages and other sources of income of the people of the 

 United Kingdom, it would certainly be of the greatest utility, as it would 

 afford a valuable aid in the consideration of some of those great problems 

 which meet us on every side in our social economy. There ai-e, in truth, 



