This value exceeds my estimated mean for A. africanus by 162 ex., or 3.90 

 S.D.s. 



Whether or not we include Old. Horn. 16 in the H. habilis hypodigm, 

 it seems clear from these figures— and from the provisional estimate for Old. 

 Horn. 24— that there existed at Olduvai some hominids possessed of signifi- 

 cantly larger cranial capacities and, therefore, presumably of larger brains 

 than the South African populations of A. africanus. This fact has been af- 

 firmed most recently by Pilbeam (1969). It assumes additional import if the 

 Olduvai estimated capacities are compared not with my mean for A. afri- 

 canus (494 ex.), based on published data, but with Robinson's (1966) pro- 

 posed new mean for A. africanus (430 ex.), based presumably on new esti- 

 mates and determinations for a sample of 6 specimens of A. africanus * 



FIVE 



9 THE CRANIAL CAPACITY 



Q OF HOMO ERECT US 



For some time there has been a need for the redetermination of the 

 endocranial capacities of those crania assigned to Homo erectus. The real 

 want of a reassessment of the capacities of the various H. erectus crania 

 became apparent to me when I had the opportunity of examining the 

 original Indonesian material through the courtesy of Dr. D. Hooijer and 

 Professor G. H. R. von Koenigswald. This necessity was expressed by Tobias 

 and von Koenigswald (1964, p. 516) thus: ". . . we both feel that the capac- 

 ity of the various pithecanthropine crania should be re-determined, since 

 reconstruction of missing parts of the calvariae can now be based on better 

 samples of related crania." In my contribution to the Juan Comas 65th 

 Birthday Festschrift, I returned to this theme (Tobias 1965c). 



Since then, the opportunity has been provided me to reassess the capac- 

 ity of one of the Javanese specimens, namely Dubois's original Trinil cra- 

 nium, whilst von Koenigswald has himself redetermined the capacity of 

 another specimen. The ensuing discussion incorporates the results of these 

 latest developments, as well as several new determinations on recently dis- 

 covered specimens. 



* Similarly with Holloway's mean of 442 c.c. 



8l ^ 



