266 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 83 



due to the shortness of its neck. In detail the bone presents several 

 primitive characters. It resembles in general the astragali, as far as 

 known, of the other Neanderthal skeletons. 



The calcaneus. — Present, the left bone, seriously damaged ; re- 

 constructed with care by M. Boule. The bone is relatively long, broad, 

 as well as high. The length is due especially to the heel part. The 

 sustentaculum is considerably developed. The articular surfaces of 

 the bone present some primitive features. The ligamentous insertions 

 and grooves are all strongly marked. 



Bones of the feet. — These bones are very defective. The metatarsals 

 were evidently relatively short but stout, with large extremities ; that 

 of the large toe was especially robust, more so than in the majority of 

 human feet of today. 



General considerations. — The general aspect of the body of the man 

 of La Chapelle was somewhat different from that of recent man, the 

 posture was less perfectly erect. The stature of the La Chapelle man, 

 if estimated from the length of the humerus, may have been approxi- 

 mately 163 cm., which would be near the average of the Neanderthal 

 males estimated in a similar manner. But Boule is of the opinion that 

 in view of the short spine and short tibia this estimate is much too 

 high, and that the stature in life of the La Chapelle male was more 

 probably about 155 cm. (Mem., 116-118.) 



DIMENSIONS OF THE SKELETAL PARTS OF THE LA CHAPELLE MAN 

 (Abstracted from Boule) 



Estimated stature in life I55~i63 cm. 



Humerus: Length max 



Minimum circumference of shaft 



Angle of torsion 



Humero-femoral index 



Tibiae: Length, in position and without 



estimated 



Astragalus: Length" 



Height 



Breadth 



Calcaneus: Length max., approx 



Breadth 



B-L Index 



spme, 



' In present man the average angle ranges from 134° to 162° (Boule. Mem., p. 125). 

 2 Measurements by the method of Volkov, Les variations squeletiques du pied chez les Pri- 

 mates et dans les races humaines. Bull, et Mem. Soc. Anthrop., Paris, 1905. 



