498 General Notes. [ August, 
In the Bulletin de la Société d Anthropologie, 1876, M. Bertillon con- 
tributes a paper on the influence of primogeniture on sexuality. The 
annual births in France are, in wedlock, 105 males to 100 females, live- 
born; dead-born, 137-100; all births, 106.6: 100. . The illegitimate 
births reduce the ratio to 103.1: 100. In Austria the births are 106: 
100; first-borns 110.3: 100; puines, 105.2: 100. Illegitimate first- 
borns, 103.6: 100; illegitimate puines, 105.8: 100. In the capital cities 
the first-borns were 114.4: 100; puines, 106: 100. Illegitimate first- 
borns, 102.1: 100; illegitimate puines, 106.6: 100. The subject was 
ably discussed by Lagneau and others, and was reverted to in a subse- 
quent meeting. In the same journal, page 25, Dr. Paul Topinard dis- 
cusses the “parietal angle” of M. De Quatrefages. Blumenbach, in 
1775, arranged skulls in a line on the floor, and observed them from 
above, on the norma verticalis. Viewed in this way the zygomatic arches 
are more or less prominent, giving rise to the terms cryptozygous 
(white races) and phenozygous (yellow races). Prichard, in 1819, 
added the profile and face view, norma parietalis and norma frontalis. 
Owen introduced the study of- the base, norma basalis. Prichard in 
directing his attention to the front view of the skull, enunciated his 
celebrated form called ogival. To verify his experiment, De Quatre- 
fages invented his parietal goniometer, exhibited before the Academie 
des Sciences in 1858, and at the French Association in 1872. The pa- 
rietal angle is formed by two lines tangent to the most salient points of 
the zygomatic arches and to the coronal suture. When the lines meet 
above, the angle is positive; when they meet below, the angle is nega- 
tive. The positive angle is most marked in the yellow races ; the negative 
in the foetus, and in some European adults. 
In the third number of the Bulletin de la Société d’ Anthropologie, M. 
De Mortillet has a paper on France in prehistoric times. It was T 
on the occasion of presenting to the society his chart on prehistoric 
France, prepared for Nouvelle Geographie Universelle of Elisée Réclus. 
Tables are given containing the number of localities in every district of 
the country. Something of the kind might be attempted in our own 
land. In the same journal are the following communications: Découverte 
de gisements néolithique à Moret (Seine-et-Marne). Sépulture à créma- 
tion, trépanation chirurgicale, et trépanation posthume, by M. Choquet. 
tude sur une série de crânes recueillis dans le département du Puy -de- 
Dome, by M. Boyer. Quelques observations anthropologique sur le 
département du Puy-de-Dome, by M. A. Rouyon. Sur les peuples 
l'Afrique Australe. Sur la langue et les traditions des Buschmans, by 
P. de Jouvengal. Sur deux séries de crânes provenant d'anciennes 
sépultures indiennes des environs de Bogota, by M. P. Broca. 
The want of space prevents more than a mere reference to the follow- 
ing papers and works: N. B. Denny, The Folk Lore of China, 9% 
_ London. E. A. Freeman, Race and Language; Contemp. Rev., March. 
