October 28, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



581 



mixture upon terms of entire equality of a 

 number of types of head-form. In Italy, 

 as we have seen, the broader head-form so 

 far outweighed the Mediterranean one that 

 a single culminating point of maximum fre- 

 quency still remained with a lesser one cor- 

 responding to the minority partner. In 

 this second diagram Bavaria represents 

 about the same condition as all Italy, with, 

 however, the proportions of the two con- 

 stituent types reversed. For ; being north 

 of the Alps the culminating apex of greatest 

 frequency lies toward the longer-headed 

 side of the curve. Therein does the dolicho- 

 cephaly of the Teutonic race make itself 

 manifest. 



Compared with these curves for Italy and 

 Bavaria, the Swiss seriation is seen to be 

 devoid of any real apex at all. It repre- 

 sents a population in no wise possessed of 

 distinct individuality so far as cephalic 

 index is concerned. Broad and long heads 

 are about equally common. This corre- 

 sponds, of course, to the geographical proba- 

 bilities for two reasons : inasmuch as Switz- 

 erland not only lies at the center of the 

 continent; but, also, owing to its rugged 

 surface comprises all extremes of isolation 

 and intermixture within its borders. A stage 

 of heterogeneity absolutely unparalleled 

 seems to be indicated by still another of our 

 curves, that drawn for the Greeks of Asia 

 Minor. It culminates at the most widely 

 separated cephalic indexes, viz., 75 and 88 

 respectively, known in the human species. 

 The lower index corresponds to the primi- 

 tive long-headed Greek stock ; the other 

 is probably a result of intermixture with 

 Turks, Armenians and others. Or, perhaps, 

 it is nearer the truth to say that the only 

 bond of unity in the entire series is that of 

 language ; in other words, that the broad- 

 headed apex represents Turks, Armenians 

 and others, still physically true to their 

 original pattern, yet who have chanced to 

 adopt the speech of the Greeks. Here 



again is the heterogeneous ethnic composi- 

 tion of eastern Europe fully exemplified by 

 a seriation curve of cephalic index. 



In conclusion, we may call attention to 

 the following seriation curve based upon 

 observations taken by Messrs. Fiske and 

 Melluish upon nearly five hundred students 



at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

 nology. Its simplicity, points to a remark- 

 able homogeneity of physical type, so far 

 as the proportions of the head are con- 

 cerned. This would seem to be at variance 

 with our notions of the composition of our 

 American population. Yet it should be 

 observed, that this series is one based upon 

 a selected class ; selected, in that it com- 

 prises those possessed of intellectual ability 

 sufficient to enable them to withstand the 

 pressure of Institute examinations. It ap- 

 pears that this purity of type, culminating 

 at a cephalic index of about seventy-seven, 

 corresponds quite closely to other series 

 taken among peoples of Anglo-Saxon de- 

 scent, especially in the English universities 

 by Venn and others. From one end of the 

 British Isles* to the other a uniformity in 

 *Vide onr map in Popular Science Slonllily, LII., 



