228 
A First St udy of the Burmese Skull 
line, FO lying along FO as before. The occipital part of the Group C contour no 
longer projects so far beyond that of the Group A, but still enough to show quite 
clearly the greater flatness of the latter; a flatness which clearly characterises both 
occipital and frontal regions. The swelling curves to left and right in Type A bring 
out in a striking manner the greater width which our direct measurements revealed. 
We now turn to the transverse type contours, and lay first the tracing for 
Burman males over that of Group C males. If we make the mid-points of our 
auricular axes coincide and their perpendicular bisectors lie along one another. 
Group C contour is seen to fall entirely within Group A. Though the chief difference 
is in width, not in height. 
But now, in order to compare the shape of the lateral curves, let us slide the 
auricular axis of the Group A tracing along that of the other until the R auricular 
points come together. The contours now coincide to a great extent on the right 
side; but they diverge in two places. In one of these (that about ordinate nine) we 
can perhaps identify the beginning of that swelhng which, carried further back, 
culminates in the marked parietal eminence to which we have referred. We say 
perhaps, because the differences noted here are well within the limits of probable 
error. In the other region, that lying just above the auricular axis, we see indicated 
the greater massiveness of the Burman about the zygomatic ridge and in the area 
above it; this again is within our range of variation for the small Group C. 
The ? type contours for Groups A and C demonstrate the same kind of difference, 
though here there is a greater difference in height and less massiveness in pro- 
portion in the part about the zygomatic ridge. 
Lastly, the sagittal type contours. 
We are spared the necessity of considering the relative values of the nasio- 
lambda line and the standard horizontal through the nasion {Ny), as the best base- 
line for comparison, since the angle between these two at the nasion is practically 
the same in the two male types: the two female types also agree together very 
nearly. 
The question of the superiority of either of these to Schwalbe's glabella-inion 
Une or Klaatsch's glabella-lanibda fine was examined in considerable detail in 
Thomson's Moriori paper* with a verdict in favour of the Ny line, which is parallel 
to the standard horizontal plane. 
Three statements were made about the standard horizontal plane through the 
sub-orbital point in the case of type crania. 
] . That it passes very nearly through, but a little below the inion. 
In five of our six type contours it does pass practically through the inion ; in the 
sixth, that for the males of Group C, it is 6 mms. above. This, however, is our smallest 
series — seven only, and might be expected to vary. 
The above important statement is therefore fully supported by the evidence of 
our Burmese. 
* Biometrika, Vol. xi. pp. 105-111. 
