1906-7.] Notes on Aboriginals of South Australia. 
51 
IX. — Notes on Aboriginals of the Northern Territory of South 
Australia. By W. Ramsay Smith, D.Sc., M.B., C.M., Permanent 
Head of the Health Department, South Australia. ( Communicated 
by Professor D. J. Cunningham, F.R.S.) 
(MS. received January 7, 1907. Eead same date.) 
Whilst engaged recently in inquiring into diseases and sanitation in the 
Northern Territory of South Australia, I took occasion to investigate some 
points in the anthropology and ethnology of the aboriginals. This investi- 
gation broke some new ground, and produced results which I consider to 
be of sufficient interest to be recorded. 
Physiognomy. 
What impresses an observer on examining aboriginals of undoubtedly 
pure breed is the great variation to be observed in external facial character. 
This impression is all the stronger if one is familiar with Keane’s statements 
regarding the uniformity in physical and mental characters of the inhabi- 
tants of the Australian continent, “ in which a strong family likeness is at 
once detected between all the scattered groups of its primitive inhabitants.” 
While there exists, no doubt, a large substratum of uniformity, too much 
must not be inferred from a casual examination ; and one must be prepared 
to find a large amount of well-marked variation. 
The examination of a number of Australian aboriginals, or even a 
number of photographs of aboriginals, will show that Australian heads 
will be found which show a facial resemblance to all the known recognised 
types, Ethiopian, Mongolian, Caucasian, American. It appears to me that 
in this respect there is some analogy between the Australian aboriginals 
and the Australian fauna. The primitive marsupials, distinguished by 
certain features, such as epipubic bones, inflected angle of the lower jaw, 
“ aplacentation,” double uterus, etc., having been cut off at an early period 
from competition with nearly all other classes of mammals, have developed 
along lines similar to those along which other forms have specialised, and 
now mimic other classes of animals, e.g., carnivora, insectivora, rodents, etc. 
The Australian aboriginals have to some small degree undergone similar 
development, and now mimic in facial expression the four primary groups 
of Hominidae as well as many intermediate forms. I speak generally, not in 
strictly scientific language nor in detail. Further, I would emphasise the 
