1.1   ANTECEDENTS.   41

ference to the publications of which the titles are given ; and the whole could have been obtained by any one who cared to search other more or less public sources of information. Five of these families (Bentham, Darwin, Dawson-Turner, Ros

coe, and Taylor of Ongar) have already been alluded to in my previous work (" Hereditary Genius "), whence I have extracted what appeared to the point, adding what was necessary. In estimating the number of individuals in each generation, the practice has been usually adopted of not counting those who died young, or have not yet attained their 30th year.

ALDERSON.-Many members of this family have been intellectually gifted. There has been an unusual number of cases of mathematical achievement among them.

First generation.-5 males and 2 females, children of the Rev. J. Alderson and his wife (the latter lived to 94). Of these, 3 males deserve notice:-(1) James Alderson, M.D., of Norwich ; (2) Robert Alderson, Recorder of Norwich, Ipswich, and Yarmouth ; (3) John Alderson, founder