Prorjnafhh<fm of Tasmanian Aborif/inal. 143 



Middlesex ll(»s]iital Museum, and (e) Duckworth's (?>?>) study of the 

 Tn-snianian erauia in tlie Canihridj?e Aiiatoniioal Miisenni. 



This nnikes. coinLinol with the tia'ures of the present work, a total 

 of 74 busi-nasal. (Ki liasi-prosthionic, and 66 gnathic index obserA'a- 

 tions of Tasmania crania, which, it may be noted, is by far the largest 

 number of Tasmanian crania as yet investigated in connection with 

 the question of the prognathism of this nosv extinct race. 



The detailed results of the combined figures, and also of my original 

 figures, are set forth in Table II. 



Combined 

 Results 



TABLE II. 



Number Buchiicr Number Turner Number 



1. The basi-nasal length - 41 - 95 - ... - - 7-t - 9G.G0±.47 



2. The ba-si-prostiiiouiclciio-th .32 - !t7.5 - ... - ... - ()(> - 9S.7()±.50 



3. Gnathic index - - - 32 - 1(I2 - :31 - W.i.ij - (i(> - 1U2.:!8±.30 



This table shows that the gnathic index of the G6 Tasmanian 

 crania utilised for the investigation gives a true mean of 102.38=b.30, 

 that is, the Tasmanian is niesognathic, but stands at the extreme 

 end of the scale, and is just on the confines of mesognathism and 

 prognathism. 



It is clear that these figures must be accepted as furnishing the 

 correct estimate of the degree of prognathism, for two reasons : 

 firstly, Ijecause they comprise the largest number of Tasmanian crania 

 ever previously examined for this purpose, many of which are entirely 

 neAv to science, and secondly, because the final results are attained by 

 biometric methods, and not by the laws of arithmetical average. 



Further, it is clear that the position of the Tiismanian on the meso- 

 prognathic borderland, explains many of the discrepant results at- 

 tained by previous workers with other methods, and insufficient data ; 

 for example, we have here, I think, an entirely adequate explanation 

 of the somewhat c^onflicting results achieved by such competent ob- 

 servers as Turner (29) and Thomson. 



For the purpose of establishing a comparison between the prog- 

 nathism of the Tasmanian and that of other races, I have utilised, 

 for the former, all the figures available to me, in all 74 observations. 

 From these I can only avail myself of G6 gnathic indices, for the 

 suflScieut reason that in the remainder <me or other of the necessaiy 

 measurements was missing. The selected races for comparison are 

 the Australian, the Veddah, the Cliine.se, and Andamanese, and the 

 modern Italian. I he selection so made is not a mere casual one, but 

 is specially chosen as furnishing examples of admittedly pure races, 

 like the Andamanese, impure types like the modern Italian, and 

 races of doubtful purity, like the Australian. The figures in each 

 instance are taken from Flower's Catalogue, and the results are set 

 forth in Tables III,-V. 



