cranial contours. The evidence of all kinds clearly indicates that 

 the skulls of Malekula are of a distinctly Australian type. Unfortu- 

 nately the Museum's collection does not contain any undeformed 

 skulls from Malekula; however, as a control the Museum collection 

 of crania from the adjacent island of Ambrym is used. Apparently 

 cranial deformation does not affect the cranial capacity, and it is 

 surprising that so few measurements of the deformed skulls are 

 affected by compression during infancy. The first judgment would 

 be that a considerable flattening of the forehead must result in a 

 large number of correlated distortions, but statistical evidence shows 

 this judgment to be mistaken (see Figs. 7 and 8). 



A statistical study of a group of skulls from New Caledonia 

 shows that, like the skulls of Ambrym and Malekula, they are of a 

 distinctly Australian type. This conclusion is in sharp contrast 

 with that formed from the study of a large Chicago Natural History 

 Museum series of male and female crania from New Guinea which 

 are of a distinctly Negro type. In conclusion, Dr. Hambly's inquiry 

 is extended to a statistical comparison which emphasizes the marked 

 cranial relationship of Australians, Negroes of Africa, and Mela- 

 nesians. Negroes and Australian aboriginals seem to have contrib- 

 uted traits that in the aggregate form definite types of Melanesians 

 (but one should insist that the word Melanesian is a geographical 

 term which cannot be legitimately applied to Melanesian groups, 

 which are as a rule either Negroid or Austral oid). 



Tables have been prepared to show the details of trait resem- 

 blances in average cranial measurements for Australians, Polyne- 

 sians, African Negroes, and definite types of Melanesians. There 

 are more likenesses among these groups than we can explain by any 

 theory of chance resemblance, and the research will finally lead to a 

 detailed plotting of Melanesian areas according to cranial measure- 

 ments which are either distinctly Negroid, Australian, or in some 

 instances a mixture of the two. At present the tentative conclusion 

 must be that, although Polynesian cultural and linguistic influences 

 have been considerable, the amount of physical mixture of Polyne- 

 sians with Melanesians is not impressive. 



Installations and Rearrangements— Anthropology . . . 



The opening of the first section of Hall B — History and Archae- 

 ology of the Indians of North, Central, and South America — took 

 place in January. A special preview of the exhibits was held for 

 Members and especially invited guests. Tea was served. President 



-37 '. 



