the pupil which is already contracted by the action of the muscle of accommodation in its effort to give a clearer picture to the brain.  This has a tendency to elongate the eyeball, and as a permanent result we have near sightedness.  Where the eyeball has an unnatural shortness this same action manifests itself by headaches, chorea, nausea, dyspepsia, and ultimately a prematurely breaking down of health.  The first symptom of failing sight is a hyper-secretion of tears, burning of the eyelids, loss of eyelashes, and congestion either of the eyelids or the eyeball proper.

The natural condition of aboriginal man is far sighted.  His wild life, his nomadic nature, his seeking for game, his watching for enemies, his abstention from continued near work, have given him this protection.  Humboldt speaks of the wonderful distant vision of the South American Indians; another traveler in Russia of the power of vision one of his guides possessed, who could see the rings of Saturn.  My recent examinations among Indian children of both sexes also confirm this.  While the comparison is not quite admissible, yet the recent investigations carried on by Lang and Barrett, who examined the eyes of certain mammalia, found that the larger number were hypermetropic or far sighted.  With all the difficulties which naturally surround such an examination they found that in fifty-two eyes of rabbits, thirty-six were hypermetropic and astigmatic, eight were hypermetropic only, five were myopic and astigmatic, and others presented mixed astigmatism.  In the eyes of the guinea pig about the same proportion of hypermetropia existed.  The eyes of five rats examined gave the following result:  Some were far sighted, others were hypermetropic and astigmatic, one was slightly myopic and one had mixed astigmatism.  Of six cows, five were hypermetropic and astigmatic and one was slightly myopic.

Six horses were also examined, of which one had normal sight, three were hypermetropic and astigmatic, and two had a slight degree of astigmatism.  They also examined other animals, and the same proportion of hypermetropia existed.  These gentlemen found that as an optical instrument the eye of the horse, cow, cat and rabbit is superior to that of the rat, mouse and guinea pig.

I have for the last five years devoted considerable attention to the vision of the Indian children who are pupils at two institutions in this city.  I have at various times made careful records of each individual pupil and have from time to time compared them.  Up to the present there is a growing tendency toward myopia or short sightedness, i.e., more pupils from year to year require near sighted glasses.  The natural condition of their eyes is far sighted and the demands upon them are producing many nervous or reflex symptoms, pain over the frontal region and headaches.  A good illustration of the latter trouble is showing itself in a young Indian boy, who is at present undergoing an examination of his vision