20 
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
Commencing with these ethnological ideas as a working hypothesis, 
the main object of our research is to see what light can be thrown by 
investigation on the Australian problem, and with this idea we have 
devised several independent lines of research all leading np to the one 
ultimate object. 
These lines of research are as follows : — 
1. A biometrical examination of certain standard measurements of the 
Tasmanian, Australian, and Papuan crania — namely, length, breadth, and 
height. 
In this connection it must be remembered that the recent discovery by 
two of us (Berry and Robertson, 12 and 13) of over forty Tasmanian crania 
previously unknown to scientists has greatly extended the possible range of 
observations. 
2. A biometrical examination of the same standard observations for the 
Australian aboriginal, to serve as a basis of comparison for the present 
work, and also as an independent piece of research. 
3. A morphological examination of the “ form analysis ” of the Tas- 
manian calvarium on the lines devised by Schwalbe, from which the 
relative position of the Tasmanian in the anthropoid, homo primigenius, 
homo fossilis, homo sapiens series is to be deduced. 
4. A like examination for the Australian aboriginal calvarium, with the 
like object. 
Of these four lines of investigation the first three are now completed, 
and the fourth is in active progress. 
The first of these investigations is embodied in the present work. 
The second line of research is the sole work of Dr Robertson, with 
mathematical assistance from Mr Cross. 
The third and fourth investigations are the work of Professor Berry 
and Dr Robertson. 
As will be easily understood, investigations covering such a large and 
important field can hardly have been conducted without having given rise 
to minor and incidental problems for investigation, and these will be under- 
taken by one or other of the present writers as time permits. 
As already indicated, the present work is an application of rigid 
mathematical formulae to the standard measurements of length, breadth, 
and height of 86 Tasmanian crania, 100 Australian crania, and 191 Papuan 
crania. We have purposely dealt with as large numbers as were obtainable, 
in order to minimise, so far as possible, errors arising from random 
sampling : in fact, of the Tasmanian crania, practically every available one 
in any part of the world has been employed for the investigation. 
