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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Yol. IX. 



ing districts." He measured several of them. The tallest 

 man, and one towering considerably above his fellows, 

 was only 5 ft. 3 in. in height ; he was a more civilised 

 Vedda from Biytenna. The shortest whom he saw measured 

 was 4 ft. 1 in. He considers the average height of the men 

 from 4 ft. 6 in. to 5 ft. 1 in., and the women from 4 ft. 4 in. 

 to 4 ft. 8 in. In a list of measurements taken at his sugges- 

 tion, two men are reported as 5 ft. 3 in. and one as 5 ft. 3| in. 

 If these measurements are correct, they exceed, in his opinion, 

 the average measure. Among fourteen Veddas of Bintenna, 

 the tallest was 5 ft. 3f in., the shortest 4 ft. 6^ in. ; the 

 medium was about 5 ft. \ in. Of twelve women, the tallest 

 was 5 ft. 2tt in., the shortest 4 ft. 4^ in., the medium about 

 4 ft. 9 in. 



Mr. Hartshorne* gives only two measurements of persons, 

 whom he believes to be fairly average specimens of the race. 

 One of them, Latty, eighteen years of age, was 5 ft. 4J in. 

 in height ; the other, Bandiey, about twenty-five years old, 

 measured 4 ft. 11 j in. 



If we reckon this in metres, we have the following : — 

 The tallest man ... 1,638 mm. 



The shortest man ... 1,245 mm. 



The medium, according to measurements taken in Bintenna: — 

 For the men ... 1,537 mm. 



For the women ... 1,448 mm. 



T he conclusion to which we arrive is that the Veddas are 

 a very small, not to say dwarfish, race. 



In reference to details of the size, the majority of observers 

 in reality present no facts which indicate disproportionate 

 or imperfect development of the separate members of the 

 body. Only Mr. Hartshorne, who characterised the general 

 appearance of the Veddas as " distinctly non-Aryan," asserts 

 that they have short thumbs and sharp-pointed elbows. It 

 would be very satisfactory if these accounts could be corro- 

 borated by fresh observations. 



* Hartshorne, I. c, p. 408, note- 



