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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLIV 



Dr. F for years a resident of this section, and health 



officer of C , supports me in this belief. Moreover, I 



have explained to each family the necessity for my study 

 of absolute certainty on this point, have asked them the 

 direct question, and each about the other, and can get 

 only the assurance that the family life in each case is 

 entirely chaste. One man is a minister, one principal of 

 the colored school, one a thriving merchant and one a 

 barber, and all seem considerably above the grade of 

 morality and intelligence of the ordinary stupid and ir- 

 responsible negro. I think you may be absolutely cer- 

 tain regarding the chastity of the several mothers con- 

 cerned." Those who know Dr. Jordan will appreciate 

 the better the great weight to be given his conclusion. 

 It seems to us we may proceed to discuss these cases as 

 experimental data. 



Of the four families the W. family is, perhaps, the 

 most striking. The father, the grandson of a white man, 

 has himself a grade of pigmentation (black, 13 per cent.) 

 no darker than that of a brunet. His wife is very dark 

 (black, 45 per cent.). The children range from white 

 (black, 6 per cent.) to as dark as the mother (46 per 

 cent.). The entire series of percentages of black runs: 

 6, 23, 25, 31, 32, 33, 46. We have here 1 light inter- 

 mediate; 5 of mulatto tint and 1 1 1 very dark." None of 



