320 Stature of the Men of Roxburgh and Selkirk. 



or more. In Mr Tate's paper a few figures, which have a 

 bearing on this point, are given concerning Berwickshire, 

 chiefly from Dr Charles Stuart of Chirnside, in which the 

 average height of 73 men of the " rural population, including 

 a few fishers,'' is stated at 5 feet 8*97 inches (the exact 

 figure shown above for Melrose) but of these there were 25 

 "farmers and persons of pure local descent," who averaged 

 5 feet 10-28 inches. These numbers are, of course, too small 

 to found much upon in themselves, but it is pretty certain 

 that more extended investigation would go to confirm the 

 results. 



Thus it would appear that, even in the statistics which 

 have been here given, there is to be found some confirmation 

 of a scarcely questionable fact, that the aggregation of the 

 population in towns tends to deteriorate the physique of the 

 race. In the army it has all along been recognised that, 

 generally speaking, the men who make the most efficient 

 soldiers are those from country districts. Even 30 or 40 

 years ago the recruits obtained in Manchester, Liverpool, and 

 other large towns were of very inferior physique. In the 

 Border manufacturing towns, however, deterioration has 

 certainly not proceeded to the same length as in those 

 places. 



The nature of the employment in the woollen factories — 

 the staple industry — is understood to be, on the whole, a 

 healthy employment, one which ought not, in itself, to be 

 " unfavourable to physical development." Yet, even in these 

 towns, there is evidence of deterioration taking place, apart 

 altogether from that deducible from the inferior stature of 

 town as compared with country Volunteers. The Records, 

 indeed, have been looked into to see whether the measurements 

 show any falling off as between the earlier and the later 

 part of the 31 years which they cover, and there are some 

 indications of this to be found, although the falling off shown 

 is such as should hardly, perhaps, have much stress laid 

 upon it. It is very well known that the Volunteers of 1860, 

 and for some years onwards, w^ere physically much finer men 

 than the Volunteers of the present day; but for this there 

 are more explanations than one. However, the results of 

 the examination referred to are as follows, and in the case 

 of Hawick, particularly, they are somewhat striking : — 



