[Proc. Rot. Soc. Victoria, 25, (N.S.), Pt. I., 1912.] 



Art. X. — An I)iresfi;/afion of Fifty-Tvo Tosmanlan. (}rania 

 hi/ Klaafsch's (J raniof rigo nouietrical MdJuxU. 



By L. W. G. BUCHNER 



(( TO vei-ment Research Scholar in tin- Aiithi-opoloL^ical Labo rat nry 

 of the University of Mellxmrne). 



[Read lUh July. 1<H2 ] 



When Huxley (1) write that he had arrived at the eonchision " that 

 no conjparison of erania is worth niueh that is nut founded upon the 

 establishment of a relatively fixed base line, to which the niiasure- 

 nients in all cases could be referred," he considered that it would not 

 be a very difficult uuitter to decide what that l)ase line should be, 

 and eventually sufigested his now well-known basil-cranial axis. Many 

 investigators have, however, employed modifications or adaptations of 

 Huxley's basi-cranial axis, whilsit others have devised totally indepen- 

 dent base lines. The great objection, however, to the majority of 

 these base lines is that they are non-correlative with any previous 

 work, and when the next new base line appears, the others are, to a 

 large extent, rendered valueless. Such a variety or multiplicity of 

 methods creates unnecessary complications, and makes it impossible 

 to obtain comparative data, and the lesult is, that notwithstanding the 

 jiumerous craniological researches of the last fifty years, there has 

 been but little appreciable advance in reducing these nieasurements to 

 one common standard. 



Bolk (2) considers that a rational base line of a craniometrical 

 system must be able to serve for, at least, a prinuiiy division of the 

 skull. In referring to the base lines which have been drawn through 

 the base of the skull, ho raises this objection, that whilst these base 

 lines may Vje of value as boundary lines between the cerebral and 

 facial skull, they are valueless as the basis of a craniometrical system. 

 He thus criticises the l)ase lines of Topinard, Aeby and llauber. 

 SoUas (3) writes that it is interesting to observe how closely in the 

 consideration of base lines the latest researches have followed those 

 first laid down by Huxley. 



Consideraljle interest attaches to the iiietliods instituted l)y Schwalbe 

 (4), of Strassburg, on the calvaria of I'lflu'caiithnipus frrrfiis particu- 

 larly, and pre-historic man generally. In this work he emjiloys as a 

 base line the plane between the glabella and inion, that is, the 

 plane previously associated with liieger's name. 



