THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
63
An exceedingly interesting Lecture was given by Mr. F. Enock, F.L.S.,
F.G.S., on "Insect Transformations," illustrated with a magnificent series of
lantern slides. The lecture was a very fine example of a "Nature study''
discourse and was highly appreciated by the audience.
Mr. Enock was cordially thanked at the end, on the motion of the Chairman.
THE 272nd ORDINARY MEETING.
Saturday, April 3RD, 1909.
The fifth meeting of the Winter Session was held as usual at 6 o'clock, the
President, Mr. T. S. Dymond, F.I.C, in the chair.
Photographs of Essex Antiquities.—Mr. John Avery showed a long
series of very excellent lantern slides, illustrating ancient Essex "Lock-ups,"
Stocks, Whipping Posts, and remarkable Church Porches and Windows. The
photographs had been taken by Dr. Hale, of Highbury, and were beautiful
specimens of the art.
The President said that these local pictures would be a valuable addition to
the collection of the Photographic Survey of Essex, if copies could be secured.
A cordial vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Avery for his interesting exhibit.
Lecture.—Mr. John Gray, B.Sc., Secretary to the British Association
Committee for Anthropometric Investigations in the British Isles, gave a
Demonstration-Lecture, entitled "The Head as an Index of Race." The
lecture was illustrated by lantern-slides and charts. Messrs. Aston and Mander,
of Old Compton Street, Soho, W., very kindly lent a number of anthropometric
instruments for exhibition.
Mr. Gray remarked that the chief differences between the lowest races and
the highest was in the size and shape of the head. He explained frequency
curves showing how the lengths and breadths of the head are distributed in the
same race. Each race had its characteristic position on a cephalic chart giving
the two dimensions, around which the individuals of the race group ed them-
selves. He showed photographs of the skulls of Palaeolithic man, and early
British races, and traced their affinities, comparing them with modern types.
Afterwards the lecturer gave a demonstration to show that the place of origin of
an individual could in many cases be determined from his head measurements.
He added that it would be a fruitful research to make an anthropometric survey of
Essex, to determine what the composition of races in the county was, and he
said that he would be glad if some members of the Club would take action in that
direction,
The President agreed that anthropometric investigation was an important
and interesting topic, and he believed that investigators would find Essex a most
useful field for the study. He thought that they would find perfectly pure Saxons
in the Essex of to-day—in fact one of their Vice-Presidents was as pure a Saxon
as they would find. Some of the Essex shepherds, with their fair hair and
splendid blue eyes, were also pure examples of this race.
Dr. Graham somewhat doubted that head-measurements alone could safely
be relied upon as true criteria of race. He thought that other ethnological
characters should be taken into consideration in any analysis, and that
individual variations were elements of the problem.
Mr. Gray replied to some of Dr. Graham's criticisms, and after a very cordial
vote of thanks had been passed to him, the meeting ended.