APPENDIX B 315 



considerable diversity in its physical characters and this 

 is more evident when more detailed accounts and photo- 

 graphs are studied. There appears to be sufficient 

 evidence to show that a very ancient ulotrichous, low 

 brachycephalic, pygmy population once extended over 

 the Malay Peninsula and a great part (at least) of 

 Melanesia and New Guinea, but the existing groups do 

 not appear to be homogeneous judging from the diversity 

 in stature, head index and nasal index. Stature, as has 

 already been stated, is always recognised as subject to 

 considerable variation, but the bulk of the measurements 

 of these peoples fall below 1-5 m., and therefore indicate 

 a predominant very short population. The head indices 

 mainly show low brachycephaly ; the occasional very low 

 indices may be due either to a Pre-Dra vidian mixture or 

 in New Guinea, at all events, to a Papuan strain. The 

 former existence of a Pre-Dravidian stock in New Guinea 

 is highly probable, nor must it be overlooked that there 

 may have been a hitherto undescribed pygmy or very 

 short dolichocephalic ulotrichous stock in New Guinea 

 and Melanesia. The nasal index of these Negrito peoples 

 is very suggestive of racial complexity. Judging from 

 photographs, in the absence of measurements, the 

 Andamanese have by no means a broad nose, and a 

 mesorhine index is found in all the other groups, some 

 of the Tapiro and Mafulu are even leptorhine. A con- 

 stantly recurring feature is the convex upper lip, but 

 that also occurs among the Sakai. The problem now is 

 to determine what foreign elements have modified these 

 pygmies, and whether the Negrito stock itself will not 

 have to be subdivided into at least two groups. 



The Negritos have certain cultural characters more 

 or less in common, some of which differentiate them 

 from their neighbours. There is very little artificial 

 deformation of the person. The Tapiro and Mafulu 

 alone do not tattoo or scarify the skin ; Skeat says that 



