APPENDIX D. 227 



three and sometimes four generations, and consisted of those who 

 lay in the main line of descent, together with their brothers 

 and sisters. 



Among the replies, I find that much information has been 

 incidentally included concerning what is familiarly called the 

 "temper" of no less than 1,981 persons. As this is an adequate 

 number to allow for many inductions, and as temper is a strongly 

 marked characteristic in all animals ; and again, as it is of social 

 interest from the large part it plays in influencing domestic hap- 

 piness for good or ill, it seemed a proper subject for investigation. 



The best explanation of what I myself mean by the word 

 " temper " will be inferred from a list of the various epithets used 

 by the compilers of the Records, which I have interpreted as 

 expressing one or other of its qualities or degrees. The epithets 

 are as follows, arranged alphabetically in the two main divisions 

 of good and bad temper : — 



Good tempter.— Amiable, buoyant, calm, cool, equable, forbearing, 

 gentle, good, mild, placid, self-controlled, submissive, sunny, timid, 

 yielding. (15 epithets in all.) 



Bad temper. — Acrimonious, aggressive, arbitrary, bickering, 

 capricious, captious, choleric, contentious, crotchety, decisive, de- 

 spotic, domineering, easily offended, fiery, fits of anger, gloomy, 

 grumpy, harsh, hasty, headstrong, huffy, impatient, imperative, im- 

 petuous, insane temper, irritable, morose, nagging, obstinate, odd- 

 tempered, passionate, peevish, peppery, proud, pugnacious, qtiarrel- 

 some, quick-tempered, scolding, short, sharp, sulky, sullen, surly, 

 uncertain, vicious, vindictive. (46 epithets in all.) 



I also grouped the epithets as well as I could, into the following 

 five classes : 1, mild ; 2, docile ; 3, fretful ; 4,. violent ; 5, masterful. 



Though the number of epithets denoting the various kinds of 

 bad temper is three times as large as that used for the good, yet 

 the number of persons described under the one general head is about 

 the same as that described under the other. The first set of data 

 that I tried, gave the proportion of the good to the bad-tempered as 

 48 to 52 ; the second set as 47 to 53. There is little difference 

 between the two sexes in the frequency of good and bad temper, but 

 that little is in favour of the women, since about 45 men are re- 



2 Q 



