178 FOSSIL MEN. 



prognathous, that is, with more or less prominent 

 jaws and retreating forehead, yet these pass into each 

 other by imperceptible gradations, and the differences 

 are not altogether coincident with those of race as 

 established on other grounds. 



I have long thought that this matter of - comparison 

 of skulls and skeletons requires to be placed on a 

 somewhat different basis, which is well indicated in 

 the note furnished by Professor Huxley to Sir Charles 

 Lyell in connection with the pre-historic skulls of the 

 Belgian and Neanderthal caves. He contents him- 

 self with a broad distinction between skulls of the 

 low and high types ; that is, of the ruder and the 

 more civilized nations, and informs us that even in 

 rude and homogeneous races like the Australians there 

 is great cranial variety ; while it is well known that 

 any skull, ancient or modern, except those that have 

 been artificially flattened, may find its counterpart in 

 a large collection of European skulls. 



The practical point, therefore, is to ascertain what 

 cranial characters are necessarily or generally con- 

 nected with those other characters which we perceive 

 in different races, and so to apply the whole as to 

 obtain definite information regarding the state of 

 civilization and general habits of life which they in- 

 dicate. Frotn this point of view the mere length or 

 shortness of skulls does not seem a very important 

 feature, except locally. There are rude and uncivil- 

 ized races with both forms of cranium. The Laps 

 are a rude people, somewhat comparable with the 



