340 A NATURALIST'S WANDERINGS 



APPENDIX TO PAET IV. 



I. On the Cranial Chaeactees of the Natives of Timor- latjt. By J. G. 

 Gabson, M.D., F.Z.S. ; Mcmb. Anthrop. Inst. ; Anat. Assist. Eoyal 

 College of Surgeons; Lecturer on Comparative Anatomy, Charing 

 Cross Hospital. 



In the following communication I intend to direct attention to the 

 characters presented by a series of skulls from Timor-laut, a group of 

 small islands situated between New Guinea and Australia, collected and 

 brought home by Mr. H. 0. Forbes. Before doing so, it will be well to 

 recapitulate briefly the chief characters of the inbabitants of the island 

 observed by Mr. Forbes, and described by him in a paper read last 

 session before this institute, and published in the Journal (vol. xiii., 

 p. 8, et sen.)* 



:([ i(t « « i{c 9(: 



The osteological remains now to be described were obtained from tlie 

 island of Larat, and consist of a series of eleven skulls and crania. Of 

 these, nine are adult, one that of a young man of about twenty years of 

 age, and one that of a child. 



Four of the skulls appear to be those of males, and six those of women. 

 The skull of the child is not sufiiciently developed to indicate its sex. 

 The male skulls arc all of a round form — broad in proportion to the 

 antero-posterior length, and resemble one another in general appearance. 

 Of the females, five correspond in form to the male skulls, in being short 

 and broad, but the sixth differs markedly from the others, in being 

 narrow antero-posteriorly in proportion to its breadth. The form of tho 

 child's cranium resembles closely that of this last skull. The cranium of 

 the child has been excluded from the various measurements and averages 

 given in the subjoined table, now to be discussed, but that of the young 

 man is included, as I was unwilling to diminish the series by rejecting 

 it, especially as it seems to have attained its full development, except in 

 a few respects which will be noted ; though I am aware that it is contrary 

 to custom to include any skull in which the basilar suture is not united. 

 The male and female round skulls are separated from one another, and 

 the latter are grouped apart from the long narrow female skull, many of 

 the characters of which are entirely different from those of the other 

 females. 



Capacity.— Tho averaTe cranial capacity of the four male skulls 

 measured with shot according to Broca's method, is 1607 cc, or 47 cc. 



* As this has been fully done in the'lforegoing pages, it is unnecessary to 

 1-ecapitulate them here ; consequently, this paragraph is omitted from this 

 reprint of Dr. Carson's valuable paper. — H. 0. F. 



