Miscellanea 
373 
apparently without relation to transpiration, nutrition, etc.'' Tt will be oUsei'ved that these 
findings substantiate in general those of ¥vy made in 1902*. 
Bearing in mind the foregoing statement, an attempt was made to ascertain experimentally 
the relation of amount of light as to kind of leaves developed. This year's twigs bearing only 
one-lobed forms were tied back into shaded i)Ositions. Of ten such cases, three twigs produced 
isolated, three-lobed leaves. In another lot of the younger twigs bearing only one-lobed foi-ms, 
the leaves were stripped from the twigs, and these too tied back in the shade. Only one twig 
this lot responded, producing two two-lobed and one three-lobcd leaf. A consistent explanation 
of this fragmentary evidence would be that the formative elements for three-lobed leaves in the 
twigs are stimulated to produce those fetrms. A more positive jjoint brought out is the lack of 
proliferating power in the trees under the condition of the exi)eriment.s — when compared with 
other forms possessing divided leaves as the niulbeny — the majority of mutilated twigs at this- 
season, early August, not renewing theii' leaves. The writer is indebted for use of material to 
Mrs W. G. Gibson of Avalon, Pa., and Prof. W. J. Stevens, Field School, St Louis, Mo. 
III. Life-History Albums. 
By ETHEL M. ELDERTON. 
The Personal and Family History Register! compiled by Dr Taylor is extremely interesting, 
and if people could be ])ersuaded to keep the records asked for and to forw;ird the book when 
completed to some central agency such as is intended, the statistical data then available should 
be most useful. In this register under one cover all the children of one family have their life 
histories recorded, and if the individuals are to be studied only in their childhood this is an 
advantage, but if it is hoped by means of a register to provide the life history rather than the 
child history a separate volume for each child would be preferable ; then as each child left the 
home the book could go with him to be continued and completed. Francis Galton in the Life- 
History Album issued years ago preferred this second plan and arranged that each child in the 
family should have its own album j. 
To the statistical worker in Eugenics so many problems in heredity are still unsolved, 
problems dealing with fertility, with inheritance of disease, with age at death, etc. that no record 
of personal history seems adequate which does not provide the data from which such pi'ol>lems 
can be attacked. In the Personal and Family History Regi.ster information as to date of l)irth 
and date of death is sought for parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. \\\^ to the sixty- 
four ancestors in the seventh generation, and such a record is intere.sting, but one feels that 
cause of death and some information as to general health, if obtainable, Avould make the 'lata 
more useful. Further there is no space assigned for collaterals. In the introduction the 
followhig occurs: "It is of interest to obtain data also on collaterals (uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.) 
and alliants (members by marriage). These extras can be inscrilied on a page marked 'Special 
Hajipenings' or on separate sheets or card.s, and placed in the pocket at the end." Our ex- 
perience is that even when a special space is provided for an entry the information required 
is not always given, and I think that except in a very few cases extra data of this kind will 
not be given, and I am inclined to think that knowledge of the brothers and sisters of the 
parents is of more importance for determining the hereditary chariicteri.stics of an individual 
than knowledge of the great-grandparents. Cousins, we found, were as closely related to one 
another as grandparents, to their grandchildi'en, and the data concerning tlieni could be more 
* Biometrika, i. 258, Jan. 
t Ourselves. A Personal and Family History Register, by John Madison Taylor, A.B., M.D., 
published by F. A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, 1917. 
J This Album is now re-issued by the Galton Laboratory through the Cambridge University Press. 
Price 9s. net. 
