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1.]   ANTECEDENTS.   29

The foregoing tables show results bearing on the question whether harmony or contrast prevails in the physical characteristics of the parents. I think they must be accepted as decidedly in favour of harmony. The grand totals which they give are 78 cases of harmony, 31 of contrast, and 56 of indifference. In short, there is more purity of breed in scientific men than would have resulted from haphazard marriages. In the temperaments of their parents, harmony strongly prevails over contrast, the proportion being 5 to 1 in favour of the former. In colour of hair, harmony is twice as frequent as contrast. In figure it is equally common, because " corpulent, stout, or plump " persons of one sex seem to have a peculiar and reciprocated liking for " spare, neat, or small" persons of the other. This is literally the only case in these tables where a love of contrast equals that of harmony. I came to much the same conclusions by giving appropriate marks for harmony, contrast, and indif

ference to each quality in each case, thus obtaining aggregate marks for every pair, which I treated on much the same principle that the