TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. — DEPT. ANTHROPOLOGY. 699 



8. On the Animism of tJie Indians of British Guiana. 

 By EvEKAED F. iM Thdrm. 



9. Origin and Primitive Home of the Semites. By G. Bertin. 



10. On the Utilisation of the Memory. By George Harris, LL.D., F.8.A. 



The writer commenced by observing that, important as the memory is, not only 

 in the pursuit of science but in the general conduct of life, proportionably important 

 also must be its due and proper cultivation. 



To artificial aids to memory he did not, however, attach much value ; most of 

 them indeed consisting in attempts to dispense with, rather than to aid, the 

 memory. 



Nevertheless, the power of the memory, by direct and proper cultivation, might 

 be prodigiously extended. 



The peculiar circumstances which most conduce to fix ideas in the memory 

 ■vrere next discussed. 



Different persons, he stated, differ more in respect to memory than with regard 

 to any other power ; and the memory, he considered, reflected the peculiar mental 

 character and constitution of the individual. 



The extent to which persons are able to voluntarily discharge from the memory 

 the recollection of matters which are no longer serviceable to them was discussed. 

 There can be no doubt, he said, that, everyone possesses to a large extent the 

 power of determining what matters he will recollect, and that this is a power 

 which is greatly improvable by exercise. He concluded that we have no 

 •direct power of the former kind, but that we are able to a great extent to 

 cause ideas to fade from the memory. 



In the case of animals, he believed that they have great power of retention, but 

 DO active voluntary power of recollection. In their case events are mainly, if 

 not entirely, recalled by association. 



11. On the Cultivation of the Senses. By George Harris, LL.D., F.8.A. 



The writer, after pointing out the use and describing the operations of the 

 different senses, in the case both of man and animals, proceeded to observe that, 

 while in the contrivance and arrangement of the various systems of education, due 

 provision has been made for the study of those different branches which are 

 considered most useful in life, none of these systems are planned in accordance 

 with the faculties of the mind ; in consequence of which, while some of these 

 faculties engross a very large share, others are quite neglected ; and the discipline 

 and cultivation of the senses in general are very little attended to, and in case of 

 certain of the senses are entirely neglected. The writer demonstrated that each 

 sense is of gi-eat practical value in its way, and each is also capable of being 

 extensively improved by cultivation. 



The co-operation and co-aid of the different senses, and also of the senses and 

 the reason, he described, together with the manner in which, both in animal con- 

 stitution and in the case of man, the deficiency or failure of one sense may be more 

 or less compensated by the cultivation and increased activity of the others. The 

 paper concluded with a concise inquiry as to whether, and to what extent, plants, 

 m common with the lower animals, are endowed with sensation, or with any 

 property analogous to it. 



