MANNER OF DEVELOPMENT. 33 



States that he has repeatedly observed Europeans, who had been 

 brought up and spent their whole lives with the wild Indians, 

 who nevertheless did not equal them in the sharpness of their 

 senses. The same naturalist observes that the cavities in the 

 skull for the reception of the several sense-organs are larger in 

 the American aborigines than in Europeans; and this probably 

 indicates a corresponding difference in the dimensions of the or- 

 gans themselves. Blumenbach has also remarked on the large 

 size of the nasal cavities in the skulls of the American aborigines, 

 and connects this fact with their remarkably acute power of smell. 

 The Mongolians of the plains of Northern Asia, according to 

 Pallas, have wonderfully perfect senses; and Prichard believes 

 that the great breadth of their skulls across the zygomas follows 

 from their highly-developed sense-organs.'- 



The Quechua Indians inhabit the lofty plateaux of Peru; and 

 Alcide d'Orbigny states'' that from continually breathing a highly 

 rarefied atmosphere, they have acquired chests and lungs of ex- 

 traordinary dimensions. The cells, also, of the lungs are larger 

 and more numerous than in Europeans. These observations have 

 been doubted; but Mr. D. Forbes carefully measured many Ay- 

 maras, an allied race, living at the height of between 10,000 and 

 15,000 feet; and he informs me" that they differ conspicuously 

 from the men of all other races seen by him in the circumference 

 and length of their bodies. In his table of measurements, the 

 stature of each man is taken at 1000, and the other measurements 

 are reduced to this standard. It is here seen that the extended 

 arms of the Aymaras are shorter than those of Europeans, and 

 much shorter than these of Negroes. The legs are likewise shorter; 

 and they present this remarkable peculiarity, that in every Ay- 

 mara measured, the femur is actually shorter than the tibia. On 

 an average, the length of the femur to that of the tibia is as 211 

 to 252; whilst in two Europeans, measured at the same time, the 

 femora to the tibiae were at 244 to 230; and in three Negroes as 

 258 to 241. The humerus is likewise shorter relatively to the fore- 

 arm. This shortening of that part of the limb which is nearest to 

 the body, appears to be, as suggested to me by Mr. Forbes, a case 

 of compensation in relation with the greatly increased length of 

 the trunk. The Aymaras present some other singular points of 

 structure, for instance, the very small projection of the heel. 



These men are so thoroughly acclimatized to their cold and 

 lofty abode, that when formerly carried down by the Spaniards 



"2 Prichard, 'Phys. Hist, of Mankind,' on tlie authority of Blumen- 

 bach, vol. 1. 1851, p. 311; for the statement by PaJlas, vol. iv. 1844, p. 407. 



^ Quoted by Prichard, 'Researches into the Phys. Hist, of Mankind,' 

 vol. V. p. 463. 



=* Mr. Forbes' valuable paper is now published in the 'Journal of 

 the Ethnological Soc. of London,' new series, voL ii. 1S70, p. 193. 



