THE EARLIEST MEN 187 



and there is but little if any difference of opinion 

 on this skull at the present moment. 



One other point may be dealt with here. The 

 cubic capacity of the skull is, generally speaking, 

 a measure of the skull-contents, i.e., the brain. It 

 is generally considered that size of brain and amount 

 of intellect have some ratio, though perhaps it 

 would be more correct to speak of the extent of 

 the grey cortex. At any rate it is generally con- 

 ceded that an estimate of the intellectual position, 

 or at least possibilities of a race, may be gathered 

 from their cranial capacity. There are remarkable 

 exceptions to this rule, Paulina Musters, for 

 example. Even a more striking case is that of 

 Gambetta, who will certainly not be accused 

 by anyone of having been deficient in what is 

 commonly called " brains." Yet his brain weighed 

 only two and a half pounds, the average British 

 brain being about three pounds. As a matter of 

 fact, Gambetta's brain-weight fell ^considerably 

 below that of the average of savage races. How- 

 ever, with this word of caution, it may be said 

 that skull capacity is the best, and indeed almost 

 the only, measure which we have of intellectual 

 possibilities in otherwise unknown races. This 

 statement is made with all caution, and with all 

 reservations, as to relative size of different parts 

 of the skull, and consequently brain. The rule in 

 question can only be regarded as a rough approxi- 

 mation, but it is the best that we have. 



In the case of the Trinil skull, which is very 

 imperfect, it is exceedingly difficult to make an 

 accurate estimate of what was its original capacity. 



