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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. LVI 



, information being confidential, but the names of those 

 achieving a position in either selection were marked with 

 an asterisk in the handbook in which they were published. 

 They are referred to in this study as the starred group. 



The members of the starred group were asked to re- 

 port among other data the names of relatives as follows : 



Eelatives who have done scientific work with designation of relation- 

 ship and direction of work. 



Eelatives (with designation of relationship and direction of work) 

 sufficient to warrant inclusion in a book such as "Who's Who," 



Eelatives (with designation of relationship and direction of work) 

 who have done scientific work or work of distinction in other 



Professor Cattell, to whom sole credit is due for gath- 

 ering the original data, writes concerning requests and 

 replies : 



Of one thousand one hundred and fifty-four scientific men from 

 whom information in regard to their families was requested 1,036 

 replied and 118 did not. Of the replies 16 were blank, sometimes ac- 



attainable or the like, 7 were to the effect that the information would 

 be sent later or the like, 13 were received too late, 25 were very im- 

 perfect, 975 were usable and in most cases complete. This is an 

 unusually full reply to a questionnaire. For example. In answer to 

 an inquiry in regard to noteworthy relatives addressed to 467 fellows 

 of the Eoyal Society, Sir Francis Galton received 207 useful replies, 

 and the completely available returns " scarcely exceeded 100.'' * 



Following a thorough investigation of that part of the 

 data concerning relatives, in an attempt to supplement 

 and correct them by the use of biographical and genea- 

 logical handbooks, the writer sent 186 letters to as many 

 of the men of science, with a report of what had been 

 found in the way of additional information, and asked 

 for corrections and additions. Second and third requests 

 were sometimes sent and in some cases a personal visit 

 to the man of science or near relative was made. x\s a 

 result the number of usable replies for this studv proved 

 to be 956. 



