420 TWO REMARKABLE SKULLS 



No. 1 skull and 43 mm. in the case of No. 2. These are 

 excessively high figures when compared with the measure- 

 ments found by Buchner'^'^^) in aboriginal Australian and 

 Tasmanian skulls which were 23.2 mm. and 23.3 mm. 

 respectively. This intense degree of curvature of the parietal 

 arc imparted an extraordinary appearance to these two 

 New Hebridean skulls, when studied in mesial section, the 

 arching of the vault in both being verj^ abrupt and sudden 

 indeed in this region. 



The Lambda-inion Chord and Arc. — The lambda-inion 

 chord was 66 mm. long in No. 1 skull and 64.5 mm. in 

 No. 2, measurements which, like the parietal chord, are very 

 much above the averages for aboriginal Australian and 

 Tasmanian skulls, given by Buchner^*^^ as 55.2 and 55.5 

 respectively. The maximum distance of the chord from 

 the arc was the same for both No. 1 and No. 2 skulls, namely 

 9 mm. This was likewise very decidedly above the average 

 of 6.1 mm. found bj^ Buchner^'*^-' in aboriginal Australian and 

 Tasmanian skulls. 



The Spheno-maxillary Angle.— This angle constitutes a 

 useful and at the same time fairly constant index of the 

 degree of prognathism, and is in many waj^s preferable 

 to Camper's facial angle and the Frankfort facial angle. 

 It therefore proved to be a most valuable cranial measurement 

 in the case of these two skulls. It was found to be 95° 

 in No. 1 and 97° in No. 2 skull, figures which closely approxi- 

 mated to Huxley's results in a Melanesian skull, viz. 99°. 

 It should be noted, however, that Huxley^^^^ who initiated 

 the use of this angle in the course of his researches on the 

 cranio-facial axis utilised the akanthion as his anterior point, 

 while I employed the prosthion.^"*^) This may account for 

 the slight difference in the results. These figures contrast 

 very strongly with 75° which was the average result obtained 

 by Duckworth^"*^^ in the measurements of two European 

 skulls and the angles calculated by the same observer in 



