XOVKMBKR i:i. l!io:i.j 



SCIENCE. 



625 



intended both I'or the laboi-atory and for 

 field-work. Professor. Ranl^e discussed 

 'Brain Measurements and the Horizontal 

 Plane of the Brain'; and Dr. Birluier, 

 'Race Anatomy of the Soft Parts of the 

 Face.' The latter had prepared instruc- 

 tive tables showing the diiferenees between 

 the facial type of the Chinese and that of 

 the European. The 'Comparative Osteol- 

 ogy of the Human Forearm,' by Dr. 

 F'ischer, was a comparison of the upper 

 portion of the ulna in man and anthro- 

 poids, with special reference to the Nean- 

 derthal race. Drawings and tables were 

 used in illustration. Dr. Gaup's 'The 

 Vertebrate Skull with Demonstrations 

 from Jlodels, ' a phylogenetic study, was 

 especially appreciated by the anatomists 

 present. 



Dr. Tschepourkowsky, secretary of the 

 Russian Anthropological Society, was pres- 

 ent and read a paper: 'On the Inheritance 

 of the Cephalic Index from the Side of the 

 Mother.' Professor Stieda presented: 

 Painted Human Bones from Southern 

 Russia.' The coloring matter was prob- 

 ably applied originally to the bodies at the 

 time of burial, and received indirectly by 

 the bones after the flesh had disappeared. 

 Dr. K. von den Steinen spoke of "Genea- 

 logical ' Knotenschniire ' in the South 

 Seas." This ancient and unique mnemo- 

 technic system is still retained by the na- 

 tives, and serves them as writing and as 

 genealogical charts. 



Dr. Thilenius's paper dealt with the art 

 of a people now practically exterminated : 

 'Ornamental Carvings from Agonies' (Bis- 

 marck Archipelago). An interesting col- 

 lection of wood carvings, especially spat- 

 ula? employed in the betel habit, has for- 

 tunately been preserved. The series in- 

 cludes all gradations between the human 

 form and various animal forms. 



Of kindred interest wa.s 'The Significance 

 of Mat- and Tattoo-patterns among the 



^larshall Islandei-s,' by A. Kramer. These 

 unique and beautiful patterns are success- 

 fully combined with color schemes. Tat- 

 tooing is looked upon as a gift of the gods 

 and its execution is combined with re- 

 ligious ceremonies. Other ethnographic 

 themes were: 'The Value of Ethnographic 

 Analogies,' by Dr. Ehrenreich; 'South 

 American Weaving and Basketry,' by Dr. 

 Max Schmidt; 'The Problems of Social 

 Ethnology,' by Dr. Steinmetz, and 'Ethno- 

 graphic Transformations. in Turkestan,' by 

 R. Karutz, who referred to the changes that 

 have taken place with the Russification of 

 West Turkestan. 



Professor Scger was heard on a subject 

 in which he is facile priiice2)s: 'The Ruins 

 of Yukatan. ' In his paper on 'The Pro- 

 tection of Prehistoric Monuments,' Dr. 

 Seger recommends: (1) The passage of a 

 protective law; (2) the appointment of a 

 commission for each province; (3) the 

 creation of a special fund to be used for 

 the purpose of purchasing monuments or 

 sites, of carrying on research and of pub- 

 lishing reports; (4) the fixing of geo- 

 graphic boundaries within which central, 

 provincial and local museums are to find 

 their respective spheres of influence and 

 activity; (5) the adoption of a imiform 

 procedure in respect to excavations, and 

 the general treatment of specimens. The 

 association inaugurated the movement in 

 line with Dr. Seger 's suggestions by ap- 

 pointing an areheologieal commission. 



Dr. Edmund Blind's paper, entitled 

 'Neolithic Inhabitants of Alsace,' fills a 

 gap in the anthropological history of that 

 region. According to his researches, the 

 Neolithic race in Alsace was dolicho- 

 cephalic. Not a single brachycephalic 

 skull was found, although some were on the 

 borderland of mesocephaly. A similar 

 topic, 'The Races of the Stone Age,' by 

 L. Wil.ser, led to a lively discussion. 



Dr. Li.ssauer's "Scheme of Classification 



