VARIETIES OF MANKIND. 



1321 



Of the Prognathous type. The most 

 marked feature of the typical prognathous 

 skull, as already remarked, is the prominence 

 of the jaws, as seen in profile {fig. 807). It 

 is this which gives to the features of the Ne- 

 gro and Australian their peculiar ugliness ; 

 and it is on this that the difference of the 

 facial angle between the Negro and the Eu- 

 ropean chiefly depends. In both jaws we 

 observe that the alveolar ridges project in 

 such a manner, that the front teeth implanted 

 in them meet at an angle, instead of being in 

 the same, or in parallel planes, as in those 

 skulls which are termed for the sake of dis- 

 tinction, orthognat/iic. Independently of the 

 projection of the muzzle, however, there is 

 an appearance of general elongation of the 

 cranium from back to front, so that the antero- 

 posterior diameter of the cranial cavity is 

 greater in proportion to the lateral, than it is 

 in the oval cranium. Thus the average 

 length of ten Negro skulls measured by Pro- 

 fessor Van der Hoeven*, was 6'96 inches, while 

 their average breadth was 5'11 inches; so 

 that the relation of their length to their 

 breadth was as T36 to TOO. On the other 

 hand, the average length of twenty European 

 skulls was T'Ol inches, and their breadth 5'-t7 

 inches ; so that the relation of their length to 

 their breadth was 1'30 to I'OO. But this 

 difference (which is by no means great) seems 

 to depend rather upon the relative narrow- 

 ness, than upon the elongation, of the Negro 

 cranium ; for it will be observed that its ab- 

 solute length is less than that of the European, 

 and that the difference in the dimensions of 

 the two consists chiefly in the inferior breadth. 

 The form of the whole cranium suggests 

 the idea of lateral compression. The tem- 

 poral muscles cover a large surface, and rise 

 high upon the parietal bones ; and the zygo- 

 matic arch has a large opening, but this is 

 given by a forward rather than a lateral pro- 

 jection of the cheek bones. Although the 

 forehead very commonly recedes in the prog- 

 nathous skull, this is by no means a constant 

 character (fig. 810) ; even where it is high, 

 however, it is seldom or never broad or full. 

 The position of the foramen magnum has 

 been affirmed to be, in the Negro, so far be- 

 hind the nearly central place which it holds 

 at the base of the European skull, as to 

 constitute a marked character of approxi- 

 mation to the quadrumanous type ; but it 

 has been shown by Dr. Prichard, that, when 

 due allowance is made for the projection 

 of the alveolar processes, the position of 

 the foramen magnum in the Negro is as 

 central as in the other races f, its anterior 

 border being immediately behind the trans- 

 verse line bisecting the antero-posterior dia- 

 meter of the base of the cranium. The 

 height of the Negro skull seems to be rather 

 less than that of the European ; but there 

 is a more marked inferiority in the capacity 



* Bijdragen tot de Natuurlijke Geschiedeniss van 

 den Negerstam ; Leiden, 1842. 



f See Physical History of Mankind, vol. i. p. 290. 



of the Negro cranium, as shown by the 

 length of the vault over the vertex, and in 



Fig. 810. 



Young Negro of Benguela. {After Rugendas.') 



the circumference ; for the former averaged, 

 in the measurements of Professor Van der 

 Hoeven, 13'81 inches in the Negro, and 14-67 

 inches in the European ; whilst the average 

 of the latter was 19'75 inches in the Negro, 

 and 20'51 in the European. Although Pro- 

 fessor Tiedemann attempted to prove *, by 

 filling the cranial cavity with millet-seed, and 

 then weighing the quantity which it was 

 found to contain, that the capacity of the 

 Negro's cranium is equal to that of the Eu- 

 ropean's, yet, as Professor Van der Hoeven 

 has pointed out, the average capacity of the 

 Negro skulls thus examined by Tiedemann 

 was about one-twentieth less than the average 

 capacity of European skulls. On the other 

 hand, the facial portion of the prognathous 

 skull is relatively, and even absolutely larger. 

 It has been usually described as being cha- 

 racterised by the large relative size of the 

 parts subservient to the organs of the senses ; 

 but although it certainly appears that both 

 the anterior and posterior nares are wider 

 than in the European, that the nasal cavity 

 is altogether more capacious (so as to allow 

 a more extended surface for the distribution 

 of the olfactive nerve), and that the external 

 auditory meatus is remarkably large, it does 

 not appear that the same holds good of the 

 orbits, which, though sometimes larger, are 

 sometimes smaller than in the average of 

 Europeans, f 



This prognathous type, although most re- 

 markablv developed among the Negroes of 

 the Delta of the Niger, is by no means 

 confined to them, nor to the African races 

 in general, of which it is usually regarded 



* Das Him des 'Negers, init dem des EuropSers 

 nnd Orang Outangs verglichcn. Heidelberg: 1837. 

 t See Prichard, op. cit. p. 292. 



