BEVIEWS — HUMAN CBANIA. 365 



tions to the materials of progressive science, in relation to some of the 

 most important questions of our day, than the Crania Americana, the 

 work of the late Dr. Samuel George Morton, of Philadelphia. Valu- 

 able, however, as it is, it cannot detract from the merit of its author's 

 zealous and persevering labors to say, that it has furnished materials 

 destined to lead others to still more comprehensive and exact results 

 than any he arrived at. Nor did it complete his labors ; he was a 

 worker until the last, and every production of his pen has a further 

 value in relation to his chief contribution to ethnological science. Such 

 is felt, in an especial manner, to be the case, in reference to the cata- 

 logue originally prepared by himself, and now carefully edited and 

 enlarged so as to embrace the greatly augmented collection of skulls 

 formed originally by its author. It furnishes many details, indispen- 

 sable as addenda to the Crania Americana. Without it, for example, 

 all the additional examples included in the "Table of Anatomical 

 Measurements," in that work, are scarcely available for the general 

 purposes of analysis and comparison. Of these it supplies, in relation to 

 nearly all of them, the requisite facts as to sex, age, special characteristics, 

 &c, most desirable to be ascertained. Had its careful and pains-taking 

 editor, Dr. Meigs, added, in the case of those not included in the 

 Crania Americana, some, at least, of the most essential measurements, 

 such as the longitudinal, vertical and parietal diameters, and the hori- 

 zontal circumference, he would have greatly increased its usefulness. 

 In lieu of this he has followed Dr. Morton in giving the facial angle 

 and the internal capacity of each ; but to neither of these measure- 

 ments can we attach much value. Beyond such aid as it gives in test- 

 ing the prognathous character of the superior maxilla, the facial angle 

 is valueless. It rarely takes into account the forehead, while it is 

 liable to be greatly affected by comparatively insignificant variations in 

 the maxilla and position of the teeth, and is so indefinite and uncertain 

 that two accurate and experienced observers will frequently vary con- ■ 

 siderably in their measurements, executed with the same facial gonio- 

 meter. So, also, the internal capacity, given as it is in this catalogue, 

 without reference to the attempts made by Dr. Morton to discriminate 

 between the comparative occipital, parietal, coronal, and frontal develop- 

 ments, can at most be available only for some general averages. In 

 the great majority of the averages which Morton and later writers 

 have struck, the number of examples is greatly too small ; while, to 

 do justice to the actual value of comparative cranial and cerebral capa- 

 city, the relative size of skull and skeleton must needs be ascertained, 

 otherwise a small-headed and small-brained giant, with intellectual 



