PHYSICAL CHARACTERS OF RACES. 547 



As to the hair which may be seen on different parts of the body, a 

 special mention is due to that of the head. All people have more or 

 less hair on the head, and this gives also very good characters. Among 

 these the most essential are drawn from the form presented by the 

 transverse cut when examined under the microscope. In the yellow 

 people, the Americans and the white allophyles, this cut is more or 

 less circular. In the Aryans, of which we are a part, it is oval ; in the 

 negroes it takes the form of an elongated ellipse. It is evident that a 

 circular cut indicates a cylindrical hair. Such hair is very coarse and 

 stiff, and never curling or frizzled ; an oval cut indicates a slight and 

 regular flattening. In this form the hairs are finer, and may be made 

 into curls or waves more or less marked. Finally, the elliptical cut 

 can only appear when the hair is much flattened, almost like a thick 

 ribbon. These are the finest, and these alone have the aspect of 

 wool which characterizes the head of the negro. 



Crosses between these different races sometimes produce very re- 

 markable heads of hair. The negro crossed with the Brazilian pro- 

 duces the Cafuso, whose hair, forming an immense wig, is at the same 

 time long, stiff, and kinked. 



I would further enlarge upon these exterior characters, as being 

 the ones of which we can most easily give account, but time fails me, 

 and I pass to the second class of characters, to those which we must 

 seek in the interior. 



II. Anatomic Character. The anatomic character may be drawn 

 from the solid parts of the body, that is, the skeleton, from the soft 

 parts, and even from the liquids. I shall at first confine myself par- 

 ticularly to those drawn from the head. 



In the head itself we must distinguish the cranium from the face. 

 The first encloses the brain, whence proceed the organs of sense, 

 with the exception of those of touch, properly speaking. Above all, it 

 is the seat of intelligence ; on these various accounts it merits a sepa- 

 rate examination. 



The general form of the cranium, that is, the relation between the 

 longitudinal and transverse diameter, furnishes an excellent character. 

 "When this relation is less than that of 100 to 78, the cranium is con- 

 sidered as elongated from front to back : it is dolichocephalic. When 

 the relation varies from 100 to 78 or 80, the cranium is medium or 

 average ; we say it is mesocephalic. Finally, when the relation is from 

 100 to 80, and above, the cranium is considered short, and is said to be 

 ~br achy cephalic. 



These forms sometimes characterize very large human groups. So 

 almost all the negroes are dolichocephalic; nearly all the yellow 

 people, and most of the Americans, are brachycephalic or niesoce- 

 phalic. Among the whites, and even sometimes in two populations 

 belonging to the same branch of the white race, we find the two ex- 



