bi 
244 
** Kittens, during the first nine days, whilst their eyes ‘are 
closed, appear to be completely deaf. Ihave made a great clang- 
ing noise with a poker and shovel close to their heads, both when 
asleep and awake, without producing any effect. The trial must 
not be made by shouting close to their ears; for they are, even 
when asleep, extremely sensitive to a breath of air. Now, as 
long as the eyes continue closed, the iris is no doubt blue; for, in 
all kittens which I have seen, this color remains for some time 
after the eyelids open. Hence, if we suppose the development 
of the organs of sight and hearing to be arrested at the stage of 
the closed eyelids, the eyes would remain permanently blue, and 
the ears would be incapable of perceiving sound; and we should 
thus understand this curious case. As, however, the color of 
the fur is determined long before birth, and as the blueness of the 
eyes and the whiteness of the fur are obviously connected, we 
must believe that some primary cause acts at a much earlier 
period.” 
Darwin’s conclusion is supported by a remarkable 
case recorded in France by Dr. Sichel (Annales sc. 
nat., Zool. 3d series, 1847, viii. 239), in which the 
iris, at the end of four months, began to grow dark- 
colored, and then the cat first began to hear! 
In the human race, also, while it is exceedingly 
problematical how far congenital deafness is asso- 
ciated with a deficiency of coloring-matter in the skin 
and hair, it appears, according to Darwin (‘ Animals 
and plants under domestication,’ ii. 322), that some 
relation exists between various affections of the eyes 
and ears. 
He states that Liebrich found, upon examining the 
eyes of 241 deaf-mutes in Berlin, that no less than 
fourteen suffered from the rare disease called pigmen- 
tary retinitis. He also states, upon the authority of 
Mr. White Cooper and Dr. Earle, that color-blindness 
is often associated with a corresponding inability to 
distinguish musical sounds.! 
I have already shown that the census returns for 
1880 indicate that the proportion of deaf-mutes among 
our colored population is much less than among the 
whites; but private inquiry at the census bureau 
seems to show that the proportion of congenitally 
deaf among the colored deaf-mutes, instead of being 
less, is very much greater, than among the white deaf- 
mutes. 
Of 19,475 white deaf-mutes, 10,788 (or 55 per cent) 
were stated to have been born deaf, and 8,737 (or 45 
per cent) were returned as deaf from disease or ac- 
cident: on the other hand, of 1,751 colored deaf- 
mutes, 1,301 (or no less than 74 per cent) were reported 
as congenitally deaf, and only 450 (or 26 per cent) as 
deaf from disease or from accidental causes. 
By the kindness of Gen. Seaton, I am enabled to 
give the following unpublished figures from the 
census returns bearing upon the point: — 
Number of deaf-mutes in the United States, living 
June 1, 1880, arranged according to race and sex. 
: Foreign Native 
Colored. eahitie: eahihen TOTAL. 
CAUSES OF : ; 2 A 
DEAFNESS = = < < 
0 o Ss o CS o 3S o 5s) 
rat eS eee € = g 
o o o o 
Ale lla | & a fy = Fy 
Congenital - « « | 714} 587)| 545 | 444/| 5,229 | 4,520 || 6,488) 5,551 
Injury to ear . ee 8; 2 34 17 49 21 
Disease ofear. . uf 8}| 10 i 204 166 221; 181 
Other diseases. . | 178| 147|/306 | 252|| 4,172 | 3,368 || 4,656] 3,'767 
Miscellaneous. .| 73] 28|| 81) 77 610 423 764| 528 
PNOGIstabeds veal mH. bs Ail weet one mae .- || 6,889} 5,263 
Totals. . . . |979|772|/950)| 782|| 9,249 | 8,494 | |18,567/15,311 
1 These statements are taken from Mr. Sedgwick, in the 
Medico-chirurg. review, July, 1861, p. 198; April, 1863, pp. 455 
and 458. Liebrich is quoted by Professor Devay in his ‘ Ma- 
riages consanguins,’ 1862, p. 116. 
SCIENCE. 
In my former communication I quoted from Dr. 
Lawson Tait’s paper on ‘ Deafness in white cats’ 
(Nature, xxix. 164) the following remarkable state- 
ment: ‘‘ Every kind of white animal I have kept as 
a pet has proved to be the subject of epilepsy; and the 
association is suggestive, when we are told, as I have 
been frequently, that the disease is unknown among 
negroes.”’ 
I presume that Dr. Tait must have referred to the 
negro in his native habitat; for I find, upon inquiry 
at the census bureau, that epilepsy appears to be more 
common among the colored people of America than 
among the whites. 
Gen. Seaton for the following unpublished figure 
from the tenth census : — 
Percentage of epileptics in the United States, 1880, b 
race and sex. 
White male. . 2. s*« «© «to en Oe e 
White female . . . 1 « «o 6 eeeOUaoe 
Black male .°-. . . « ws ) Sees 
Black female . . . . 1. 4 9) e@04aGn 
Indian male- . . . . J s 202 sOOzee 
Indian female . . ._.' 4 % US0eGsese 
Chinese male- . . . =S2 3) 
Chinese female . . . . 2%) “3020925 
These results will doubtless be of interest to your 
readers. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL. 
Washington, D.C., Feb. 29, 1884. 
In a letter to Science of Feb. 15, Prof. A. G. Bell 
quotes from Dr. Lawson Tait, that ‘‘ every kind of 
white animal I have kept as a pet has been the sub- 
ject of epilepsy; and the association is suggestive 
when we are told, as I have been frequently, that 
the disease is unknown among negroes.’’? This re- 
mark in regard to the negroes, I know, cannot be en- 
tirely true. Iam a southern-born man; and I have 
seen a great deal of negroes all my life, and have al- 
ways considered that epilepsy prevailed among them, 
even to a greater extent than among white people. 
I can easily give a number of instances of its occur- 
rence, coming under my own observation and that 
of my friends to whom I have mentioned the subject. 
Georgetown, D.C., Feb. 21, 1884. BENJ. MILLER. 
The Krakatoa eruption. 
The council of the Royal society has appointed a 
committee for the purpose of collecting the various 
accounts of the volcanic eruption at Krakatoa, and at- 
tendant phenomena, in such form as shall best provide 
for their preservation, and promote their usefulness. 
The committee invite the communication of au- 
thenticated facts respecting the fall of pumice and of 
dust, the position and extent of floating pumice, the 
date of exceptional quantities of pumice reaching 
various shores, observations of unusual disturbances 
of barometric pressure and of sea-level, the presence 
of sulphurous vapors, the distances at which the ex- 
plosions were heard, and exceptional effects of light 
and color in the atmosphere. The committee will be 
glad to receive, also, copies of published papers, arti- 
cles and letters, bearing upon the subject. 
Correspondents are requested to be very particular 
in giving the date, exact time (stating whether Green- 
wich or local), and position whence all recorded facts 
were observed. ‘The greatest practicable precision in 
all these respects is essential. 
All communications are to be addressed to 
G. J. SYMONS, 
Chairman Krakatoa committee. 
Royal society, Burlington House, 
London, Feb. 12, 1884. 
[Von. IIL, No. 56. 
I am indebted to the courtesy of - 
