THE HUMAN SKULL 153 



women were below it in capacity, and a consider- 

 able number were only a little more capacious," 

 and other savage races have an equally small 

 capacity. " It follows, therefore," he continues, 

 " that a human cranium, smaller in its capacity 

 than 1,100 cc. (the estimated cubic capacity of 

 the Trinil specimen), is yet sufficiently large for 

 the lodgement of a brain competent to discharge 

 the duties demanded by the life of a savage." But 

 the divergences of opinion are perhaps best shown 

 by figures prepared by M. de Mortillet, and tabu- 

 lated by him in a book published some little time 

 ago, as to the opinions which had up to that date 

 been expressed respecting the fragments discovered 

 at Trinil. Here are the opinions as given by twenty- 

 one observers. 



To an 



The Remains. Belong to Man. intermediate type. To a monkey. 

 2nd Molar .. ... ... ... 5 ... ... 2 



3rd ,, 4 8 ... ... 6 



Femur ... ... 13 ... ... 6 ... ... i 



Skull 6 8 6 



What do we learn from these and other early 

 skulls? In the first place, that there has been, and 

 indeed still is, a doubt and uncertainty about some 

 of them, not only as regards their nature, but as 

 regards their date. We learn also that these doubts 

 and uncertainties are entertained by leading 

 authorities on the subject, a fact which renders 

 it absolutely impossible to utilize, at least at pre- 

 sent, some of these skulls for the foundation of a 

 firm edifice of argument. Then, in the next place, 

 we learn of those skulls whose date and character 

 are least in doubt that they are clearly human 



