PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 



OF PHILADELPHIA. 



January 1, 1850. 

 Dr. Morton, President, in the Chair. 



A letter was read, dated New York, December, 184.9, accompanying 

 the donation made this evening of the Python, from Mr. Sandwith 

 Drinker, of Hong Kong, China. 



Also a letter from Mr. J. M. Richardson, of London, dated November 

 30, 1849, desiring information of a mode of transmitting to the 

 Academy certain Nos. of the Journal of the Indian Archipelago. 



Dr. Morton, havino; resigned the Chair to Mr. Ashmead, read a 

 continuation of his Memoir on the size of the Brain in the various 

 races and families of Man ; which was referred to the Committee on 

 the previous portions of the paper. 



A communication was read from Prof. Spencer F. Baird, Corres- 

 pondent of the Academy, dated December 21, 1849. desiring to be 

 considered as a Member from that date. 



January \^th. 

 Dr. Morton, President, in the Chair. 



Dr. Morton read a continuation of his paper on the size of the 

 Brain in the various races of Man, which was referred to the Com- 

 mittee on the previous portions. 



He then followed with some remarks on the volume of the brain in 

 the savage tribes, which he stated to be greater than in the half 

 civilized races of Mexico and Peru. He mentioned some facts proving 

 the antiquity of the characteristics of the several groups of the human 

 race, and exhibited some plates from the forthcoming work of Dr. 

 Lepsius, representing purely Egyptian forms copied from bas-reliefs 

 in tombs at the base of the great Pyramid, dating back 34-00 years 

 before Christ. Also some copies of pictures in temples more than 

 2000 years later, still exhibiting the same well marked characters of 



PROCEED. ACAD. NAT. SCI. OF I'HII.ADELPHIA. VOL. V. NO. I. 1 



