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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLV 



ber of epidermal pigmented cells. Probably also, the cells 

 generally of the rete mucosum Malpighi retain in small 

 degree the property of the basal mother cell to produce 

 pigment granules. 



Description of Skin of Brunet 

 Number 6 (pathologically pigmented skin) : Here one is 

 unable to determine just how much pigment is due to the 

 normal (" midway between blond and brunet ") and how 

 much to the pathologic condition ("thyroid adenomata" 

 —"gall stones, but not jaundiced "). The specimen con- 

 tains fewer granules than number 18 and more than 

 number 7. 



Number 7 : Here the granules are very few in number 

 and confined exclusively to the basal layer. There is great 

 variation in the number of granules held by the basal 

 cells. Only very rarely does a small pigmented cutis cell 

 appear in the sections. 



Number 11 has still fewer granules than 7 and 



Number 17 shows only occasional cells of the basal layer 

 slightly pigmented (few melanin granules). 



Number 16 is more like the blond skin to be described. 

 There are very few granules in only occasional cells ; and 

 no pigmented cutis cells are seen in the section. This 

 skin could not be told from blond. 



Description of Blond Skin 



Number 13 (Fig. 3) : Here the layer of distinctly pig- 

 mented basal cells is fairly complete. The section is very 

 like number 7 oi the brunet series. 



Number 5 is almost identical with number 16. The pig- 

 ment granules are very, rare; and only a few to a cell. 



It must be emphasized at this point that the melanic 

 granules of number 5 are in point of shape, size and 

 coloration indistinguishable from those of number 9. 



There is a continuous gradation in color (and the num- 

 ber of pigment granules) from negro to blond skin with an 

 overlapping at the extremes. 



The melanic granules of the specimen of melanotic sar- 

 coma were of the same yellowish-brown color (perhaps 

 of a trifle lighter shade), but of very irregular shape and 



