The Races on the West Coast of Ireland. 85 



predominates. I examined a group of students and reported on them 

 a few years ago. More than one third of the number had brachy- 

 cephalic or subbrachycephalic heads. This large proportion was due 

 to a special race admixture. In regard to the ear-lobes, the latter 

 were absent or very slight in one Galway group. It seems probable 

 that the ear lobule it very frequently absent, and that brachy- 

 cephalism may have some reference to the build of the general 

 skeleton. I have given good reasons for the conclusion that altera- 

 tions in the bones of the face are due to changes in the characters 

 of the facial muscles, these latter are very apt to vary, and the 

 bones obviously respond in due proportion. Environment acts through 

 the perceptive powers, and the capacity for imitation, and in other 

 ways according to the activities of the groups. Taking the case of 

 arboreal men it is obvious that any projecting structures or a high 

 pose of the head, which would render the pharyngeal and laryngeal 

 arteries and tubes less protected, would diminish the chance of 

 survival. It seems pretty certain that simple featural modifications 

 are evoked by forms of architecture, and impressive animals such as 

 horses. The Greek form of expression in features is far less common 

 in Ireland than on the Continent. I do not attach importance to 

 the abnormal varieties found amongst the Ballinasloe measurements 

 although I give them here in my summary. Such abnormal cases 

 are always to be met with everywhere. There is now a growing 

 tendency to account for so-called abnormalities as simple develop- 

 ments of foundation structures, which in the group may be absorbed, 

 or suppressed in order to aid the growth of others. Hence a change 

 in family habit may lead to the evolution of a structure which had 

 become latent. There are then amongst the colonies which have helped 

 to modify the racial type in Ireland in Historic times; (1) the Norman 

 colonies of one thousand years ago, or later; (2) the Danes (3) Norwe- 

 gians (4) Saxons of still earlier times, and (5) the Spaniards of 

 later times, especially in the West. 



Dublin and Limerick were largely Danish foundations. Galway 

 came early under Norman influences, except the Claddagh, but later the 

 Spaniards modified the physique, as well as the archetecture of the west. 



