Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-11-04
A FERMENTATION SURVEY.

some Curious Facts Atcut the Hair
and Eyes of Scotch Children.
From the Literary Digest Some
interesting facts have been brought
out by what is called "pigmentation
survey of Scotland, described in the
journal of the Royal Anthropological
institute by two Scotch anthropolo-
g1sts, Messrs Gray and Tocher. This
Is simply an examination of the color
OF hair and eyes among the school
children of Scotland. Says a contribu-
tor to Nature Iohdon, May 21), de-
scribing the results:-
In the first place the percentage
(24.9) of Scotch boys with fair nair is
unexpectedly low. The obvious in
ference is that the pure Morse or Eng
fish element in the population is by
no means predominant, and that there
is dark or brunei element at least
equal, and probably greater. The
highest density Of fair hair is to be
found in the great river valleys open
ing ON the German ocean and in the
Western isles. In the former case
this probably points to invasions OF
a blonde race into those regions SINH.
larly, the higher percentage of fair
hair in the Spey e.valley and in the
Western isles implies inroads of the
vikings or Norsemen. 1t is perhaps
pushing the evidence too far when the
writer's suggest that the high percent
age of fair-haired girls in the neigh
borhood of Dunfermline is due to the
train of blonde damsels who are sup
posed to have accompanied the Saxon
princess Margaret, who about the
time of the Norman conquest became
queen of Malcolm Canmore.''
The survey, we are told, appears tC
corroborate the conclusions Of DR.
Shrubsall in regard to London slum
districts, that the percentage of fair
haired people in industrial towns is
very low. Owing to alien invasion or
the influence of environment or to
some unknown cause, in towns like
Glasgow and Dundee the conditions
vival-of blonde men, while the reverse
| is the case with women. Another i'm
portant conclusion is that improve
ments in communication do not, as
might be expected, tend to- homogen-
city of type; on the contrary, owing
perhaps to some obscure influence OF
environment, all such improvements
apparently tend to make the race
more heterogeneous. To quote fur
ther:-
"The part of the country in which
dark hair specially prevails is the ex-
IRENE West. If write the authors
of the memoir, we assume, for rea
sons given above, that the pigmenta'
ton of girls represents more nearly
the pre-Norse inhabitants, this native
type has crowded into the isle OF
SKYE and the opposite coasts OF the
mainland. If the Dalriadic Scots, who
invaded Argyllshire in the fifth cent
ury. were a dark race, and the inva
ders who settled there were men only
that would account for the darkest re
gion in the boys may being In AT
ovllshire. The Hebrides have been
so much affected by the viking ano
Morse invasions from Scandinavia
which have passed round the coast Of
Scotland that they have a much SINAI
Ter percentage of dark type than the
islands and mainland lying farther
East. The isle of Lewis has higher
percentage or dark girls than boys
Indicating the presence OF pre-Nors'
dark native population. The south
west corner of Scotland in both tn
hovs, and girls map is DARKER than tn