414 TWO REMARKABLE SKULLS 



discussion of their supposed ancestry will be found in the 

 memoir^^^^ dealing with them. One of the most striking 

 points of difference in these two ancient Egyptian skulls 

 was the shape of the orbital margins. In the finely modelled 

 orthognathous skull, with small frontal sinuses, these 

 were decidedly rounded or circular in character, with the 

 high orbital index of 92.6, in fact the highest I have ever 

 found. In the second or negroid type of skull, which exhibited 

 relatively large frontal sinuses and prominent superciliary 

 ridges, the orbital margins had the peculiar quadrangular 

 outline noted above, with the relatively low index of 82. 

 On pursuing the investigation further, I found that this 

 quadrangular contour was best marked in low types of skulls, 

 being particularly well exhibited in the aboriginal Australian 

 and Melanesian types. It is clearly shown in the two New 

 Hebridean skulls, and this feature would place them definitely 

 in the Melanesian group. The next point to be determined 

 is, "What is the causation of this characteristic outUne 

 in low types of skulls?" The suggestion I would offer is, 

 that the excessive development of the frontal air sinuses and 

 the maxillary sinuses that one finds in these skulls has the 

 effect of producing a flattening of the upper and lower orbital 

 margins, owing to the encroachment of the expanding bone 

 upon them, thus lowering the orbital index, and at the same 

 time imparting the quadrangular contour. There can be 

 no doubt that the degree and direction of development of 

 the air sinuses of the skull must exert a profound effect 

 upon its architecture and general configuration. ^^^^ 



The Facial Index. — The facial index was found to be 50.5 

 in No. 1 skull and 54.6 in No. 2. They were both above 50 

 and were thus to be classed as dolichofacial, as one would 

 be led to expect in two skulls which were so pronouncedly 

 dolichocephalic, seeing that long headed skulls are also 

 usually long faced, though this is by no means a constantly 

 concomitant occurrence. 



