ITALIAN ANTHROPOMETRY. 425 



that the brachycephalic Alpine race (the Keltic of Broca) 

 is proportionally larger-chested than the northern dolicho- 

 cephals ; and from the facts just now detailed, one might feel 

 disposed to say that it was equally superior in this respect 

 to the southern or Mediterranean dolichocephals. There 

 are, however, unexplained anomalies, such as the superiority 

 of Apulia to Piedmont, which must prevent our asserting 

 this positively. 



As for the local distribution of blonds and brunets, it 

 would seem that there is no very material difference at the 

 several elevations tested. If there be any, it consists in 

 this, that light eyes and hair are a little more frequent 

 between the levels of 50 and 400 metres, and a little less so 

 in the mountains, and in the plains near the level of the sea. 

 Unfortunately, in this case as in that of stature, the value 

 of the result is somewhat impaired by the fact that the 

 several provinces vary so widely in their partition between 

 the different levels. Dr. Livi affords us some material 

 for a comparison of the high and low levels of the several 

 provinces respectively. Examining, however, his beautiful 

 maps with what light one has on the hypsometry of the 

 country, one cannot help having a suspicion that elevation, 

 acting through natural selection, may have something 

 to do with the greater prevalence of xanthosity in the 

 following cases : — 



1. Vicenza, the most blond district of the Venetian pro- 

 vince. It is true that it contains the Germanic or semi- 

 Germanic sub-district of the Sette Communi. 



2. Sondrio, Domo d'Ossola, and most of the other 

 Alpine districts of Piedmont. 



3. Borgotaro, an upland sub-division of Parma. 



4. Portions of the ancient Samnium. 



The cities have generally considerable rural districts 

 attached to them, which renders it difficult to appreciate 

 the special effects of urban life upon the physique. These 

 are nowise conspicuous. In some cases the town population 

 appears a little darker, in others a little lighter than that of 

 the surrounding country. The stature seems to me to be, 

 if anything, rather higher in the great towns, with the ex- 



