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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLIV 



tion of correspondents in the south and above all of Pro- 

 fessor H. E. Jordan, of the University of Virginia, who 

 furnished all of the quantitative data, I am able to meet 

 these conditions. 



The quantitative data were obtained by means of the 

 Bradley color top, using the standard colors of the Mil- 

 ton Bradley Company, of Springfield, Mass. The num- 

 bers given are percentages of the entire area of the disc 

 occupied by the corresponding colors on the revolving 

 disc. All color determinations were made of the dorsal 

 aspect of the forearm slightly above the wrist. The de- 

 terminations by the color top indicate that human skin 

 color is obtained by mixing black (N), yellow (Y), red 

 (R) and white (W). The first constituent is the melanic 

 pigment, the second probably is due to a lipochrome pig- 

 ment so wide-spread in animals and found in the human 

 hair and iris, the red is chiefly that of haemoglobin ; and 

 the white is reflected from the opaque skin. The color 

 formula of the skin of the wrist of a slightly tanned 

 " white" skin — the writer's — is as follows: 



The determinations by the color top are fairly deli- 

 cate. The formula 10-12^1-37 gives a decidedly dif- 

 ferent color from the foregoing and not red enough for 

 any wrist-skin. The skin color of a very dark negro, 

 about 18 years old, measured by Dr. Jordan gave : N 75, 

 Y 3, R 20, W 2. Dr. Jordan thinks the skin color of this 

 boy's face would be given by N 90, R 10. Another black 

 negro is given by N 68, Y 2, R 26, W 4. 



We may now consider the pedigrees of skin color col- 

 lected by Dr. Jordan. 



As to the question of legitimacy, Dr. Jordan writes: 

 "There isn't the least doubt, I think, about the legitimacy 

 of the children in the families of 'II.,' 'W.,' ' J.' and 'F.' 5 



s The quantitative data on this family were not obtained, as the members 

 were too inaccessible. The "C." family was obtained after Dr. Jordan's 

 letter was written, and his remarks are doubtless applicable to that family 



