No. 33. 1886.] THE VEDDAS OF CEYLON. 



471 



v ecuia. 

 mm. 



Sinhalese, 

 mm. 



Tct mil 



xamn. 

 mm. 



95 



93 



90 



28 



19 



17 



23 



25 



21 



9 



13 



12 



formation of the naso-frontal region, as may be seen from 

 the following figures : — 



Distance of exterior orbital 



edges (diam. biorbitaire) 

 Distance of the inner orbital 



edges (diam. interorbitaire) . . . 

 Inferior breadth of processus 



nasalis ossis frontis 

 Direct length of sutura naso 

 frontalis ... 



With the Tamil the two orbits stand nearest to each other ; 

 the root of the nose is narrow but very prominent ; the 

 sutura naso frontalis lies deep, taking a straight horizontal 

 course, and the nasal process of the frontal bone, though very 

 protuberant and bearing traces of an extremely jagged frontal 

 suture, is stunted in its transverse development. With the 

 Vedda it is exactly the reverse, and the distance of the orbits 

 from one another greatest ; the nasal process of the frontal 

 bone, in which also a remnant of the sutura frontalis persists, 

 is broad and full ; the sutura naso frontalis, although short, 

 pushes right up into the frontal bone, and is therefore very 

 high, so that the sutura maxillo frontalis takes an oblique 

 course on either side ; the root of the nose itself is small and 

 depressed. With the Sinhalese the proportions are again 

 different, but resembling nearer those of the Vedda ; the 

 nasal process of the frontal bone is even more broad and 

 full, the nasal frontal, suture more symmetrically curved and 

 bulging out at the top, therefore reaching higher than with 

 the Tamil ; the distance of the orbits most considerable, the 

 root of the nose itself broader than with the Vedda, but 

 the bridge at its starting point more incurvated than with the 

 Tamil. 



The form of the aperture of the nose is with the Tamil 

 more like that of the Sinhalese than that of the Vedda. The 

 former has a breadth of 25 mm., the latter of 24 mm., that of 

 the Sinhalese 26 mm. Hence the nose of the Tamil and of the 

 Sinhalese is platyrrhine, that of the Vedda mesorrhine ; the 



