THE PIGMIES. 119 



a peculiar stamp to the skull, allowing often of its being distinguished 

 at a first glance. Moreover, there are not more divergences in the 

 skeleton than in the body. Mr. Flower has insisted on this point; 

 and declared that, in no other race, would it be possible, unless an 

 intentional and rational choice were made, to gather such a number 

 of identically shaped skulls. It is evident that the causes, which I 

 have pointed out above, have produced this uniformity in the osteo" 

 logical characteristics as well as in the outward form. 



The Mincopie's head, ( x ) although large as compared to the size 

 of the body, is, as a matter of fact, very small. Seen in front, and 

 better still from behind, the cranium is obviously pentagonal. 

 The face is massive, owing chiefly to the width of the zygomatic 

 arches, to the small depth of the fossa-canina and also to the direc- 

 tion of the ascending apophysis of the maxillar. Instead of wind- 

 ing round so as to raise and reduce the frame of the nose, it rises 

 straight up ; as a consequence, the inter-orbital space is consider- 

 ably enlarged, and the bones of the nose can join but at a very ob- 

 tuse angle. One thus understands how the shape and disposition 

 of this bony structure can control and explain the exterior character- 

 istics to which I have alluded above. Mr. Flower has also insisted, 

 as I had done myself, on these peculiarities of the facial bones. ( 2 ) 

 Let us add that, among pure Aetas, this feature is as well defined 

 as in Mincopies. 



I shall finish this brief summary with a quotation. After having 

 minutely and for a long time examined twenty-four skulls of 

 Mincopies, Mr. Flower wrote : " My present impression is, that 

 ; ' I could never fail to recognize the skull of a genuine Andamanese 



(i) Their cranial capacity, according to Mr. Flower, is only of 1.244 cubic 

 centimetres for men, and 1.128 for women. Broca had found higher figures, 

 but he had only seven skulls at his disposal. He gives as average of the 

 cranial capacity of 124 modern Parisians 1.558 cubic centimetres for men, and 

 1-337 for women. The lowest average he ever found was that of the Nubians 

 (1.329 and 1.298 cubic centimetres). It is apparent, therefore, in aciordance 

 with Mr. Flower's opinion, that the Mincopies are, in that respect, the very 

 lowest of human races, 



( a ) Among the Papuan-Negritos, the same characteristics are to be found, 

 though not so well defined. 



