Of the nine species of Fusus described in British Conchology, seven are represented; the two non-occurring species being F. turtoni and F. norvegicus.

The former occurs off the Yorkshire coast, and northwards, but it has not been recorded from the west coasts of the British Isles. The latter has been taken off the Butt of Lewes, and will probably be found off the west coast of Ireland.

In the "Porcupine" expedition a new species of Fusus was dredged off the S.W. of Ireland. It was named Fusus attenuatus, Jeffr. It has not been described or figured, but a specimen of it is in the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. In the Report of the same expedition mention is made of "an undescribed species of Fusus, allied to F. sabini," having been taken off Valentia (Stations 2-9), 88-808 fms.

In drawing attention to these rare and almost unknown species, I would suggest that if another expedition is fitted out-which, let us hope, may be the case-efforts be directed to the re-discovery of them.

That a further expedition would enrich our knowledge of the marine fauna of the British Isles, and add new species to our lists, there can be little doubt, and, with the exception of the Faroe Channel, there are no localities around our coasts possessing greater attractions than those areas from which the specimens herein described were obtained.

XXIV.

SOME NEW ANTHROPOMETRICAL INSTRUMENTS.
By C. R. BROWNE, M.B.

[COMMUNICATED BY PROFESSOR D. CUNNINGHAM, M.D.]

[Read DECEMBER 4, 1891.]

VERY soon after the regular work of the Anthropometrical Laboratory of Trinity College, Dublin, was started, it became evident that there was need for some slight improvement both in our methods and instruments. The first change made was the abolition of the measurement from tip of mid-finger to centre of patella, as this was found to be difficult,

I may say practically impossible, to get correctly, owing to the very great discrepancies made by slight differences in the attitude of persons being measured.

The next was the introduction of a reliable instrument for taking radial measurements of the head, such as the auriculo-cranial height and the auriculo-alveolar, and auriculo-nasal lengths. To take these, Professor Cunningham introduced a modification of Busk's craniometer. (See fig. 1.) It consists of an L-shaped portion, each limb twentyfive centimetres in length, one arm of which is terminated by a conical ear-piece of ivory, and is graduated on two scales, millimetres and tenths of an inch from below upwards-the zero of the scale corresponding to the centre of the ear-piece. This limb carries a short sliding bar, moving freely up and down by means of a collar. The other limb is plain and ungraduated, and carries, by means of a long collar, a bar equal in length to the graduated limb, parallel to it, and like it terminated by an ear-piece. The mode of action is as follows:The person to be measured being seated in a chair, the operator stands behind, and, having introduced the ear-piece on the fixed limb into one ear, he slowly moves the sliding bar until the plug it carries is well situated in the other, and then, getting the person to hold the extremities of the bars, he still further steadies the instrument by grasping the horizontal limb with one hand while with the other he moves the sliding indicator down upon the vertex, which done, he reads off the measurement from the scale. This instrument has been in use in the Laboratory for some time, and has given very satisfactory results.

The instrument which was first employed in the Laboratory for testing keenness of eyesight was the very excellent apparatus introduced by Mr. Galton. Experience showed, however, that a slight modification of this was advisable, and the instrument which I have devised for the purpose of taking its place may be described as follows:It consists of a square bar, about forty-two inches long (on which is a scale graduated in centimetres and half centimetres), mounted horizontally on a stand; on this bar, and sliding freely along it, is a collar, which carries at its anterior extremity a clip in which is held the testcard printed with numerals of standard type (brilliant), and also holds, by means of a fixed arm, the carriage lamp which provides the light. At one end is the eye-piece, a tube like the end of a telescope, but without lenses, four centimetres in length, and one in diameter at the orifice, set in the centre of a blackened metal disc, which is so large as to cut off all view of the test-tablet except that through the tube. Care is taken to have the light as constant as possible by having the lamp fixed in its position with respect to the test-card, and by cutting off direct daylight by means of a large blackened shield. This shield

is movable, and can be attached to whichever side of the instrument the window giving the direct light may be situated on.

FIG. 2.

The main points in which this instrument differs from Mr. Galton's are-1st, Instead of several fixed test-tablets there is only one which is movable along the graduated bar; 2nd, The distance of the lamp from the test-card is fixed and constant; 3rd, The disc and tubular eye-piece 4th, The shield to cut off direct daylight.

It is in contemplation soon to begin to take a series of records of the curvatures of the cranium by means of leaden strips, such as were used by Professor Cunningham in his investigations upon the lumbar

curve.

XXV.

NOTE ON SOME CINERARY URNS FOUND AT TALLAGHT, COUNTY OF DUBLIN. BY T. H. LONGFIELD, F.S.A.

(PLATE XIV.)

[Read MAY 23, 1892.]

SOME months ago I purchased from Mr. Halbert, of High-street, two fragments of an ancient cinerary urn which he informed me had been found "on the east side of a hill between Tymon Castle and the Green Hills, County Dublin Mountains." These fragments had been brought to him for purchase, and a few days after he went to the locality mentioned by the vendor and secured some more portions of the same urn and a few fragments of a smaller urn and two flint scrapers, which I also obtained from him.

The number of fragments of the larger urn (exclusive of scraps) was 130. I have been able to join several of the pieces together and to make a drawing of the urn in its original form. (See Plate XIV.) The height of the urn was 1 ft. in., its greatest diameter 10 in., the diameter at mouth 8 in., and the diameter at base 4 in.; at its greatest diameter was a band in. wide, with chevron ornament in high relief. With the exception of a band about an inch wide near the bottom, the entire surface was richly decorated, as also the top edge of rim, and for a distance of 23 inches down the inner side of mouth.

The smaller urn or food vessel which was found with the large one was 3 in. high, and its greatest diameter 5 in.; its outer surface and rim was also entirely covered with decoration; but while there are about 15 bands of chevron work on the large urn none occur on the food vessel.

The description Mr. Halbert gave me as to the manner in which the interment was constructed is as follows:

The urn was about 10 feet under the surface, placed, mouth downwards on a flag, over the calcined bones; the top soil containing partly-burned clays and black clay with an oily smell. For some distance round the urn a rough wall of large stones had been built,