CPANIOLOGY OF PEOPLE OF INDIA. 741 



Surgeons of England, are several skulls from Siam, which are catalogued by the name 

 Thai. # Six of the crania ranged in their length-breadth index from 80 to 89, and the 

 mean was 85 ; they were distinctly brachycephalic. A seventh specimen was dolicho- 

 cephalic, index 73, which Dr Davis ascribes to the sides of the coronal suture having 

 been obliterated : an explanation which does not appear to me to be satisfactory. There 

 can be no doubt that the normal shape of the Siamese skull is brachycephalic. 



The University Museum also contains a collection of crania ascribed to natives of 

 China. With the greater number the history supports the view that they are undoubted 

 Chinese, but two or three specimens are uncertain. They are all adults ; eleven are male, 

 two female. Their measurements are given in Table VIII. 



I do not intend to give a detailed description of this series of skulls. I may, 

 however, state that one skull obtained at Chusan was dolichocephalic (index 74*3), 

 seven were brachycephalic, five were mesaticephalic. Of the latter three had the cephalic 

 index above 77'5 ; the remaining two, with the index 76'9, had a doubtful history, 

 and, as well as one from Chusan, were possibly not true Chinese. Even if we include 

 all the specimens the cephalic index works out with a mean 81 '2, and if the doubtful 

 specimens be excluded, it is a little higher, and the mean of the entire series is brachy- 

 cephalic. The breadth of the cranium exceeded the height in all but three specimens. 



As the lower jaw had not been preserved in the majority of the crania, the 

 complete facial index could only be obtained in three skulls, which were low-faced, 

 chamseprosopic. I have compared these crania, as regards their interzygomatic breadth, 

 with the corresponding dimension in neighbouring Mongolian people, whose skulls 

 approximate in general magnitude, and also with the Esquimaux. From the appended 

 list it will be seen that in this diameter the Chinese face has a less transverse 

 diameter than the Burmese, Shans, Nagas and Esquimaux, though somewhat greater 

 than in the small number of Siamese under examination. 



Chinese, 



Siamese, 



Burmese, 



Shans, . 



Chin-Lushais, 



Nagas, . 



Esquimaux, 



So far as the degree of prognathism can be determined by the measurements from 

 which the gnathic index is computed the skulls generally were orthognathous, but three 

 were mesognathous. The only prognathic skull was the one found at Chusan with a 

 length-breadth index of 74*3, an additional reason therefore for regarding it as not a 

 genuine Chinaman. As a rule the nose was either mesorhine or leptorhine. Four 

 specimens were platyrhine, and the Chusan skull was in this category. In six crania 



* Thesaurus Craniorum, p. 174. The mean interzygomatic diameter of these crania was 132 mm. 



Number of Skulls. 



Sex. 



Mean Interzyg. Diam 



11 



M. 



132-5 



4 



M. 



131-5 



38 



M. 



133-7 



2 



M. 



140-5 



9 



M. 



128-8 



6 



M. 



135-3 



18 



M. 



138-0 



