above the nipples, and with the lower edge touching them; it is then brought horizontally round the chest walls, over the blade-bones to the back. The zero of the tape should rest on the spine. (3) The boy drops his arms. (4) Takes a deep breath. (5) Counts slowly from one to ten. (6) At the word 'ten' the measurer draws the tape tight and records the measurement. When this is done, care should be taken to see that the tape is exactly horizontal both in front and behind.

The above measurements should be taken twice (or, if desired, thrice) annually.

IV. TESTS OF VISION.-These tests will serve to detect the presence of certain common defects of vision. Such defects are often overlooked or disregarded, to the permanent detriment of the pupil. The tests will not reveal the nature or cause of a defect. This can only be determined by an expert.

(a) ACUTENESS OF VISION.-(1) Hang on the wall, in a good light, a set of Snellen's Test Letters; these are in general use, and afford records which can be universally compared. No others should be substituted for them. (2) Draw a line on the floor at a distance of exactly six metres from the letters, and let each pupil in turn toe this line and try to read the letters, line after line, beginning at the top; in all cases without spectacles or eye-glasses. Each eye is to be tested separately, the other eye being covered, but not pressed upon, by a large card held in the pupil's hand. (3) Record the vision of each eye separately in the form of a fraction; for instance, thus :—

The numerator is in all cases 6-i.e. the distance of the letters in metres ; the denominator is the number which stands over the lowest line of letters which can be read. When the vision is less than it should be recorded by the appropriate sign-viz. V < (4) Take care that the pupils have no opportunity of learning the letters by rote.

NOTE. When the vision of either eye is found to be represented by a fraction having a denominator of more than 18, it will generally be desirable to report the fact to the parent or guardian, in order that proper advice may be obtained, such report being omitted if this has already been done.

(b) COLOUR VISION.-(1) Use Holmgren's Series of Coloured Wools. (2) Place them in a heap on a white cloth, in a good light. (3) Lay, apart from the heap, the test skein-a pale, pure green. (4) Explain to the pupil that he is to select from the heap and place beside the test skein all those which appear to him to be of the same kind of colour. Do not require him to name them or match them exactly, but to select those which are most nearly like the test-skein in colour. (5) Mix the wools again for each pupil, but always use the pale pure green as the test.

A certain number of the pupils-boys, very rarely girls will match the test-skein falsely with buffs, pinks, and other colours which have no green tint, or will hesitate much before rejecting such. These pupils are more or less colour-blind, and are thereby permanently unfitted for vocations on land or sea which require good colour vision. Record

the defect.

NOTE.-Ascertain by this same test that the person who conducts the colour-testing is not himself colour-blind. Such cases have been known.

The Acuteness of Vision of each pupil should be tested once a year, since certain defects of eye-sight commonly begin during school life.

The test for Colour Vision need not be repeated, since colour-blindness, except that which occurs with disease of the eye, is congenital, not acquired.

The test-letters (price 4s. 6d. framed) and coloured wools (price 48. 6d.) may be obtained from Messrs. Bailey & Co., Bennett's Hill, Birmingham, or other makers of optical instruments.

V. HEARING (Voice Test).-(1) Instruct the pupil to close the eyes and to repeat any words spoken by the observer. (2) The observer should stand at the opposite side of the room and say words for the pupil to repeat, pitching his voice in an ordinary conversational tone. (3) The observer should gradually approach the pupil until he is distinctly heard. (4) The distance should be compared with that at which words, uttered in the same tone, are heard by a person of known good hearing. (5) In order to test the hearing power of each ear separately, the pupil should stop one with his finger whilst the other is being examined.

(Watch Test).—(1) The greatest distance at which the tick of the watch to be used can be heard must be ascertained by testing with it a person of known good hearing. (The hearing distance of an English Îever watch is about 60 inches.) (2) Let the pupil close his eyes, stop the left ear with his finger. (3) Instruct him to say when he first hears the tick. (4) The observer stands at the pupil's right side, holding the watch outside the range of hearing and on a level with the pupil's ear. (5) He gradually brings the watch nearer to the pupil until the tick is distinctly heard. (6) The left ear should then be tested in the same manner. (7) The two distances and the hearing distance of the watch should be recorded in inches. Thus, if the hearing distance of the watch be 60 inches, and the pupil hears it with the right ear at 40 inches, and with the left at 25, the result should be recorded as

These fractions must not be reduced to their lowest term. The watch method is the better, but more troublesome. If used for children, it must be repeated two or three times at the same examination, as the statements are often unreliable. The same watch must always be used.

NOTE.-Inattention in children is often due to deafness. In all cases of deafness, the attention of the parent should be called to the necessity for treatment, especially if (a) there is a discharge of matter from the ears, or (b) the pupil seems always to have a cold, or (c) constantly breathes through the mouth instead of the nose. Observations as to hearing should be made twice annually.

Group B.-Non-essential Observations.

Other valuable observations are-(1) size of head; (2) span of arms;

(3) length of trunk. These observations can be rapidly and easily

taken; but in order to avoid over-burdening this circular, no instructions respecting them are here given. Any person desirous of carrying them out will receive full instructions by applying to the Secretary of the Committee,

PROFESSOR WINDLE, D.Sc., M.D.,

MASON COLLEGE, BIRMINGHAM.

Anthropometric Laboratory.-Report of the Committee, consisting of Sir W. H. FLOWER (Chairman), Dr. J. G. GARSON (Secretary), Mr. G. W. BLOXAM, Dr. WILBERFORCE SMITH, Professor A. C. HADDON, and Professor WINDLE.

THE Committee have to report that at the Nottingham meeting of the Association an excellent laboratory was provided for them in the University College buildings, where many of the Sections met. The services of a clerk were as usual placed at the disposal of the Committee, and by the kind permission of Mr. Francis Galton those of the superintendent of his laboratory at South Kensington were again available for measuring the members of the Association who visited the laboratory.

The schedule of observations and measurements made on each person examined included the sex, age, birthplace, residence, occupation, colour of eyes and of hair, profile of nose; height when sitting, kneeling, and standing; vertical projection from the vertex of the head to tragus, mouth, and chin; maximum antero-posterior length and transverse breadth of head, from which the cephalic index is obtained; the length and breadth of the nose, which gives the data for the nasal index; the nasio-mental length of face and the bizygomatic or maximum face breadth, from which the facial index has been calculated; length of upper limb from the acromion to the tip of middle finger; length of cubit and of hand (right); breadth of shoulders (bihumeral) and of hips (bitrochanteric); span of arms; weight in ordinary clothing; strength of grasp; vital capacity of the chest, strength of vision, sense of colour. This last was tested, in conformity with the recommendations of the Committee of the Royal Society on the subject, with coloured wools. The colour of eyes and hair was noted in accordance with Dr. Beddoe's method, which has been adopted for the Ethnographical Survey of Great Britain and Ireland.

The attention of the Committee has been called by Professor Edgeworth to the fact that the 'corrected mean' of each measurement as given in the reports of former years is not satisfactory, in that it assumes the dimension at the 25th and 75th grades-i.e. at the first and third quartile— (Q, and Q3), to be more accurate than that at the 50th grade (i.e. Q2). He has supplied them with a simple formula wherein the probable error at all three grades is taken into account. After several tests the superior accuracy of Professor Edgeworth's formula has been proved, and has been adopted in this report. His formula may be stated as follows :—

Corrected mean=

Q1+Q3-2Q2
3.2

If the sum of Q+Q3 is greater

1

than 2Q2, the difference is divided by 3.2, and the result is added to Q2; but if the sum of 2Q2 is greater than Q, +Q3, the latter is deducted from the former, the difference divided by 32, and the product subtracted from Q2.

Since the close of the meeting the observations recorded during it have been carefully worked up, under the direction of the Secretary, after the plan which has been adopted in former years. Progress has also been made in amalgamating the results of all the Association laboratory statistics, which now amount to about 1,000.

The Committee are glad to be able to report that the measurements made in the laboratory of the Association for the last seven years have been of material service to Her Majesty's Government in connection with

the anthropometric system of identification of criminals, which is about to be established in England. They have also been of use in comparing observations made on native races of different countries, and determining their deviation from or agreement with British people. The Committee seek to be reappointed, and to have the grant usually made to them continued.

The following are the results of the observations made on members of the Association who presented themselves at the laboratory during the course of the Nottingham meeting

Number.-100 males and 55 females were measured, making a total

of 155.

Age. The age of the males whose measurements are included in this report varied from 17 to 75 years. Of these five were under 20 years; fifteen were 20 and under 30 years; twenty-one were 30 and under 40 years; twenty-two were 40 and under 50 years; fourteen were 50 and under 60; thirteen were 60 and under 70; six were between 70 and 75 years of age.

The ages of the females varied from 18 to 69 years. One was under 20 years (18); twenty-one were 20 and under 30; twenty-three were 30 and under 40; four were 40 and under 50; three were 50 and under 60; three were 60 and under 70 years of age.

DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS.

1. Colour of Eyes.-Dividing the colour of the eyes into the three divisions of dark, medium or neutral, and light, the observations were as follows::

Males
Females

No. of Cases Per cent. No. of Cases Per cent. No. of Case Per cent.

2. Colour of Hair.-Dividing the colour of the hair into similar classes, the following are the results :

3. Colour of Eyes and Hair combined. The following is the colour of hair found in connection with the three shades into which the colour of eyes is divided :

1. Stature. As in former years the stature was measured as the person stood in his boots, but the thickness of the heel has in each case been deducted so as to get as nearly as possible the true height. The stature of the males and females at the different quartiles, according to Mr. Galton's method, and the probable deviation (indicated by the letter Q), which is half the difference between the first and third quartile, are as follows:

2. Height when Sitting.-This gives the length of the trunk of the body including the head and neck, and is as follows:-

25th Grade 50th Grade 75th Grade Q Corrected Mean

3. Height when Kneeling.-This measurement, along with the two previous ones, enables us to calculate the amount contributed to the height by the thigh, and by the leg from the knee downwards.

25th Grade 50th Grade 75th Grade Q Corrected Mean

4. Length of Lower Limbs.-This is obtained by subtracting the sitting height from the stature; the difference between these two measurements gives the amount contributed to the total height of the lower limbs.

5. Length of Thigh Portion of the Lower Limb.-This is obtained by subtracting the length of leg and height of foot from the length of the lower limbs —