THE CAVE-MEN'S SKULLS 401 



the brain) was about 900 units far smaller than that 

 of the average Australian the skull of smallest cavity 

 among living races of men. The volume of the brain- 

 cavity of the largest ape (gorilla) amounts to about 500 

 units (cubic centimetres) ; so that, allowing for rare 

 individual fluctuations of as much as one-fourth more or 

 one-fourth less (an amount of variation which, great as it 

 is, is definitely known and recorded in specimens of the 

 skulls of human races), we get the following list of 

 " cranial capacities " or brain-sizes, forming a nearly un- 

 broken series between the highest European and the ape. 

 The middle figure represents the normal or average, and 

 the first and last figure in each group the constant, 

 though rare, minimum and maximum. Gorilla, 350, 500, 

 650; Java race, 675, 900, 1125; Australians, 900, 

 1 200, 1500; Cromagnard and European, 1165, 1550, 

 1 940 (European skulls of this great capacity are known). 

 The Neander-man skulls are left out of the above list 

 although the Correze specimen allows of a satisfactory 

 measurement of its capacity for a very curious reason, 

 which is explained in the next chapter. 



