424 TWO REMARKABLE SKULLS 



of the facial masks could be more accurately moulded into 

 shape. It required a close inspection of these pegs to con- 

 vince oneself that they were not the actual teeth and their 

 true character was only found out by accident when one 

 of them happened to drop out of its socket one day. 



The dental index could not be calculated for No. 1 skull, 

 as the 3rd molars had never developed in either jaw. In 

 the case of No. 2 skull it proved to be 41.9 which placed it 

 definitely in the microdont class. This disclosed a very 

 anomalous condition, since the index for Melanesians is 

 usually above 44, thus placing that race in the megadont 

 class. This conclusion was supported by an examination 

 of the molar teeth. 



In No. 1 skull the number of molar cusps was as follows: 

 Upper Jaw Lower Jaw 



1st Molar 4 cusps 5 cusps 



2nd Molar 4 cusps 4 cusps 



3rd Molar not developed not developed 



In No. 2 skull the number of molar cusps was as follows: 

 Upper Jaw Lower Jaw 



Tst Molar 4 cusps 5 cusps 



2nd Molar 4 cusps 4 cusps 



3rd Molar 3 cusps 4 cusps. 



The third upper molars in No. 2 skull only showed three 

 cusps, due, as was to be expected, to the loss of the hypocone, 

 thus showing a tendency to trituberculism. Indeed, the 

 molar teeth in both skulls exhibited this tendency to a reduc- 

 tion in the number of cusps, an interesting condition, especially 

 when one considers the primitive race to which they belonged. 

 For example, the 1st molars of the lower jaws were the only 

 teeth that showed five cusps, while in one case the 3rd molars 

 had not even been developed in cither jaw. It is thus a 

 notable fact that in these two low grade skulls the upper 

 molar teeth were found to be in process of transition into the 



