A CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF THE SCOTTISH SKULL. 



355 



Table VI. 



Class. 



West Scottish Series. 



Turner's 

 Series. 



No. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Microseme (below 84) .... 

 Mesoseme (84-89) . . . . , . 

 Megaseme (89 and upwards) 



132 



149 

 118 



33 



37-3 



29-5 



26-4 

 26-4 

 45-6 



It will be observed that in the series of 399 male skulls we find that 132 are 

 microsemic, 149 are mesosemic, and the remainder are megasemic. The percentages 

 in the microsemic and megasemic classes are seen to be approximately equal, while 

 the mesosemic group has a slight excess. In Turner's series, which included both 

 male and female skulls, it is evident that there is a much larger proportion in the 

 megaseme class. There is evidently not the same tendency for the orbit to be high 

 relatively to the breadth in the present group, as is manifestly the case in Turner's 

 series. Turner expresses the opinion that the orbital index is very variable, and 

 that it only possesses " a secondary value as a race character." 



We shall refer to the variability of the orbital index later when treating of 

 the variability of the Scottish skull and also to Macdonnell's comments on 

 Turner's view. 



With regard to the nasal index the following table expresses the relationship 

 between the two series : — 



Table VII. 



Class. 



West Scottish. 



Turner's Series. 



No. 



Per cent. 



No. 



Per cent. 



Leptorhine (below 48) .... 

 Mesorhine (between 48-53) 

 Platyrhine (53 and upwards) 



271 

 103 



25 



67-9 



25-8 



6-2 



93 



26 

 4 



75-6 

 21-1 



3-2 



The percentage number in the mesorhine group in the two series of Scottish 

 skulls is not vastly different, as it is only about 4 per cent. The leptorhine group in 

 Turner's series contains about 8 per cent, more than the leptorhine group of the 

 West Scottish series of males contains of the whole number ; while there is about 

 half the proportion of skulls in Turner's platyrhine group than obtains in this other 

 series of Scottish skulls. The presence of this relatively small platyrhine group in 

 both series is possibly due to the explanation given by Turner, i.e. " accidental, and 



TRANS. ROY. SOC. EDIN., VOL. LI, PART II (NO. 9). 51 



