THE STRAXD MAGA 7 IXE. 
10 6 
the head-chart of that celebrated Scotsman 
the late Duke of Argyll, which, in proof of 
the racial characteristics already referred to, 
may well be contrasted with the typically 
French head of the Prince Imperial (Fig. 5). 
German heads, on the average, are rounder 
than English, and broader at the back. Irish 
heads, in general, are long, like the Scotch, 
but scarcely as narrow. 
The Slavonic head is narrow in front and 
very broad at the back. When the recent 
Peace Conference took place in London a few 
months ago, the first thing that the delegates 
of the Balkan States did on arrival was to 
call on Messrs. Heath with a demand to be 
immediately fitted out with the top hats that 
their new position necessitated ; and that 
famous firm was well-nigh nonplussed to 
provide, at instant notice, hats of so totally 
unusual shape. 
As a fine example of the highest form of 
individual his 6 J. In striking contrast to 
this stands the largest hat which the same 
famous hatters have ever supplied, a hat no 
less than 9J inches long and proportionately 
broad — a giant hat, almost as capacious as a 
hat-box, and which literally swallows up any 
every-day sample placed within it. Its 
owner, however, was no giant, neither was he 
a man of unusual attainments. A peculiar, 
and happily rare, disease which enlarges the 
bones of the head, was indeed responsible for 
the strange development which caused his 
hat to establish a record in the annals of 
hat-making. 
Naturally following these largest and 
smallest hats, may be instanced (from 
Messrs. Heath’s collection) the roundest and 
the longest (that is to say, in proportion to 
the width) — Figs. 1 and 2, on the preceding 
page. To contemplate these side by 
side is to marvel at the vagaries of Nature 
fig. 3. fig. 4. fig. 5. 
\ EACH CASE THE FIGURES IX THE OVALS SHOW THE SIZE OF HAT WORN, WHILE THE UPPER PART 
OF EACH DENOTES THE FOREHEAD. 
Asiatic head, we may instance the shape of 
Sir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownagree, the 
eminent Parsee lawyer, philanthropist, and 
man of letters (Fig. 4). 
The size of the head, as is well known, does 
not correspond, except in a general sense, to 
the size of the body. A child's head is, of 
course, smaller than a man’s, and it is only 
to be expected that the hat of that famous 
dwarf Tom Thumb (Fig. 5) should have been 
a particularly miniature specimen. Small as 
this was, however (only 5I), this Lilliputian 
silk hat has not been the smallest which 
Messrs. Lincoln and Bennett have been called 
upon to produce. Tom Thumb’s great (or 
rather, minute) rival, General Mite, required 
a hat of but size 5-J. a veritable toy of a 
topper/’ but which the tiny gentleman wore 
with as much satisfaction as an ordinary 
which should envelop two sets of human 
brains in such widely different cases. It is 
not difficult to understand how necessary it 
must be for the owners of such abnormal 
skulls to keep a block at their hatter’s, since 
they could never hope to find ready-made 
hats to fit them. 
To the late Sir John Shaw-Lefevre belonged 
the honour— for such he doubtless esteemed 
it. of wearing the biggest hat. in Parliament, 
This eminent Parliamentarian required size 
8-|, whereas the largest size of hats in ordinary 
request does not exceed 7I. Sir John was, 
undoubtedly, a very clever man, but had the 
power of his brain been in direct proportion 
to its dimensions he must have been one of 
the greatest geniuses of the age. In point of 
fact" in spite of popular conception to the 
contrary, there is but small connection 
