42 REPORT— 1892. 



want of knowledge on the part of those engaged in excavations that 

 after the exploration was completed all the bones except the skall had 

 been reinterred. In some cases sentimentality came into question, and 

 he instanced a case where, in deference to the wishes of the proprietor's 

 wife, some extremely valuable remains had been reinterred and thus lost 

 to anthropological science. He recommended skeletons to be sent to 

 anthropological museums in preference to being preserved by individuals. 

 Thus he knew of a case where at the death of the excavator some valuable 

 skeletons he possessed were buried by his executors, and would have been 

 entirely lost but that a friend of his having heard of the circumstance 

 promptly dug them up, and they were now in an anthropological 

 museum.' 



Mr. Kenward said that, with reference to the registration of ancient 

 remains, it would be a good thing if Mr. Davis would issue a short circular 

 of instructions, so as to secure uniformity of results. He mentioned that 

 the Society of Antiquaries had been working in the same direction and 

 had appointed local secretaries in different parts of the country. 



The Rev. J. O. Bevan also expressed a desire for information respect- 

 ing the best form of prospectus to issue on behalf of the Woolhope Club, 

 which, as he had stated at the last Conference, had decided to take up 

 the subject of the registration of ancient remains. 



The Chairman remarked upon the desirability of having uniformity 

 of method in this work, and thought that the Society of Antiquaries 

 would be the most efficient body for organising the whole system. 



Dr. Garson agreed with this, and, in reply to a question by Mr. Ken- 

 ward, he stated that the simplest means of estimating the stature of a 

 body from the remains was to measure the femur and the tibia, making . 

 tbe measurements with extreme care and using the metric system. The 

 spike on the upper surface of the tibia was not to be included in the 

 measurement, and the femur was to be measured along its greatest length, 

 the head and inner surface of the lower end of the bone lying in the same 

 plane. 



Interchange of PuhIicatio7is. — Among subjects of general interest dis- 

 cussed at the Conference was the importance of the Corresponding 

 Societies freely interchanging their Transactions, Proceedings, and other 

 publications. It was pointed out that, while printing, the additional cost 

 of an extra 50 or 100 copies would be very trifling. Many of the Corre- 

 sponding Societies are already in the habit of sending their publications 

 to kindred Societies. The Hampshire Field Club deposits all such 

 publications in the Southampton Public Library, so as to render them 

 i'reely accessible. 



On the motion of Mr. Holgate a vote of thanks was passed to the 

 Chairman for presiding at the Conferences. 



The Committee recommends the addition of the following Societies to 

 the list : — 



1. The Federated Institution of Mining Engineers. 



2. The Liverpool Geographical Society. 



On the other hand it has to announce the withdrawal of the Royal 

 Scottish Geographical Society. - 



' Communications for the Committee of Aid to be addressed to the Secretary of 

 the Anthropological Institute, li Hanover Square, London, W. 



