RkPOPvT UPON" THE I’lIYSTCAL CHARACTERS OK SOME OF THE XlEOTIC 
XpAiRoii) Tribes 
BY 
David \Vaterston, I\[.A., JI.D. 
Lecturer uii Anatomy in the Dniversity of Edinburgh 
From the Anthropological Laboratory of Edinburgh University 
The late Dr. MacTier Pirrie went out in the autumn of 1906 from Scotland to Egypt, The late 
in order to undertake Anthropological work among the triltes of the Sudan under 
Dr. Andrew Balfour. 
Dr. Pirrie’s training in Anthropology had been acquired in the Anatomical department 
of the University of Edinburgh, and a Carnegie Research Fellowship in Anthropology was 
awarded to him for the proposed research in the Sudan. 
Early in October, 1906, he arrived in Cairo, and, after spending a short time there in 
making preparations, he went on to Khartoum, where he arrived on the IHth October. In 
Khartoum he at once began anthropometric work by taking measurements of students 
in the Gordon College, of soldiers in some of the native regiments, and of some natives in 
the prison. 
.\t the same time preparations were made for an expedition up the Nile to study the 
primitive indigenous tribes of the Sudan. 
The tribes among whom the work was to be carried out included the Dinkas, the Tribes visited 
Shilluks, the Nuers, and also the Buruns—a tribe of modified Negroids found between 
the Upper Nile and Abyssinia, five days’ journey inland, of whom practically nothing has 
hitherto been known. 
Dr. Pirrie’s plan of work was to travel among these various tribes and to make Plan of work 
observations on their languages, customs, dress, etc., and in addition to carry out an 
extensive series of observations on their physical characteristics, including measurements 
of the head and face, nose and limbs, and also to take impressions of the hands and fingers 
and of the soles of the feet. 
Dr. Pirrie unfortunately did not survive to work up the extensive material which he Death of 
had in this way obtained, and the loss which was entailed by his sad death is a severe one, 
and in many ways irreparable. The cards on which the records of the various measure¬ 
ments had been made were handed to me in order to find out whether they could be made to 
yield any results of value. I have also seen a large number of the valuable photographs 
which Dr. Pirrie had taken, and some notes and jottings which he had made on the way were 
also put at my disposal. In regard to the language, it was found quite impossible to go into 
the various dialects and languages, nor was it possible to make an entirely complete 
examination of the physical characters. 
As a result I have not been able to take up all the threads of his work and to weave 
them into a complete memoir on the indigenous tribes of this portion of the Sudan, nor 
could this work have been done by any person except by Dr. Pirrie himself. 
The notes on language and customs were fragmentary, but fortunately tbe cards 
containing the records of the measurements were fairly complete. 
