324 



Prof. Karl Pearson and Miss A. Lee. 



II. " Combinatorial Analysis. — The Foundations of a New Theory." 

 By Major MacMahon, F.R.S. 



III. "tiber Reihen auf der Convergenzgrenze." By E. Lasker. 



Communicated by Major MacMahon, F.R.S. 



IV. " Extinct Mammalia from Madagascar. I. — Megaladapis insignis, 



sp.n." By C. I. Forsyth Major. Communicated by 

 Dr. Woodward, F.R.S. 



V. " The Kinetic Theory of Planetary Atmospheres. Part I." By 

 G. H. Bryan, F.R.S. 



YI. " Observations on the Effect of Desiccation of Albumin upon its 

 Coagulability." By J. B. Farmer. Communicated by 

 Mr. H. T. Brown, F.R.S. 



VII. "Further Note on the Influence of the Temperature of Liquid 

 Air on Bacteria." By Dr. A. Macfadyen and S. Rowland. 

 Communicated by Lord Lister, P.R.S. 



The Society adjourned over the Easter Recess to Thursday, 

 May 10th. 



Mathematical Contributions to the Theory of Evolution. VII. — 

 On the Application of certain FormulEe in the Theory of 

 Correlation to the Inheritance of Characters not capable of 

 Quantitative Measurement." By Karl Pearson, F.R.S., 

 with the assistance of Miss Alice Lee, D.Sc, University 

 College, London. Received August 5, — Read, November 16, 

 1899. Withdrawn, re- written, and again presented March 

 29,1900. 



(Abstract.) 



(1) Many characters are such that it is very difficult if not impossible to 

 form either a discrete or a continuous numerical scale of their intensity. 

 Such, for example, are skin, coat, or eye-colour in animals, or colour in 

 flowers. In other cases as in the amount of shading, degree of hairiness, 

 &c., it might be possible by counting scales or hairs to obtain a 

 numerical estimate of the character, but the labour in the case of several 

 hundreds or a thousand individuals becomes appalling. Now these cha- 

 racters are some of those which are commonest, and of which it is generally 

 possible for the eye at once to form an appreciation. A horse-breeder 

 will classify a horse as brown, bay, or chestnut ; a mother classify her 

 child's eyes as blue, grey, or brown without hesitation and within cer- 

 tain broad limits correctly. It is clear that if the theory of correlation 



