146 THE IRISH PEOPLE. 



developed and good-looking. The mean height of 

 the sixty-five adult men measured was 1,739 

 metres, or 5 feet 8| inches; the extremes were 5 

 feet 5 inches and 6 feet 1 inch ; eight of them were 

 5 feet 11 inches and upwards; the build is stout 

 and square, with great depth of chest and muscular 

 strength, far above the average. Their lifting 

 power is especially great ; they are very hardy, 

 and capable of bearing a great deal of hunger, 

 fatigue and wet. The women seem to be above 

 the average height, and are very stout and strong, 

 one young maiden of 18 was 5 feet 10 inches. 



The head is well-shaped, the forehead upright ; 

 the face of medium length, with prominent cheek- 

 bones ; the nose is straight, generally long and 

 sharply pointed, often aquiline. The mouth is not 

 large, the lips are of medium thickness ; the teeth 

 are good, sound and even ; the eyes Iigh1>blue 

 or blue-grey, seldom green or brown ; the ears 

 small and well-shaped, and v.ery few abnormalities 

 were observed. The skin rather fair, sometimes 

 ruddy, and turns to clear red. The hair is usually 

 a light brown, next in order of occurrence dark 

 brown, then fair ; black and red hair infrequently 

 met with, genuinely bla<;k hair is very rare. The 

 hair is usually wavy, very often curly. The people 

 are, as a rule, robust, stout, hardy, wonderfully 



