1903-4.] Mr N. Annandale on the People of the Faroes. 13- 
nasal length were approximately equal, the former being very slightly 
the longer of the two, the auriculo-alveolar length was considerably 
longer than the basi-alveolar. In five Irish skulls the difference 
between the vertical index when the height was taken from the 
basion and when it was taken from the auricular point, that is to 
say, from the centre of the external auditory meatus, varied from 
2*9 to 6 - 3, so that it is very evident that the two measurements 
have little relationship to one another, except that the auricular 
height is, probably in all cases, the less of the two. In the same 
skulls the two gnathic indices obtained in a similar way differed by 
from 5*4 to 1 4 *7, but in this case the auricular index was the greater 
of the two. It must be remembered, however, that measurements 
taken on the living head differ considerably from those taken on 
the skull ; while the thickness of the soft tissues of the scalp and 
of the hair must go far in bringing the auriculo-bregmatic height 
up to the same figure as that of the basi-bregmatic, if they do not, 
in some cases, cause the former to surpass the latter, yet the 
comparatively greater thickness of the soft tissues and of the hair 
on the occiput and of the forehead must again reduce the vertical 
index, in whatever way it is obtained, to a result of which the 
degree cannot ever be arrived at with exactitude. In the 
gnathic index, on the other hand, the soft tissues that cover the 
nasion must make the index on the skull considerably higher than 
one obtained from the same measurements taken on the living 
head, and it is obvious that thickness of the fleshy coating on the 
nasion differs considerably in different persons ; so that persons 
with thin faces will have, caeteris paribus , a gnathic index higher 
than that of persons with fleshy faces. It is therefore worth noting 
that the Faroeman in my table with the highest gnathic index was 
a very thin and unhealthy man, who suffered greatly from asthma. 
I do not see that there is any possibility of reducing measurements 
taken on the living head, as far as the vertical and gnathic indices 
are concerned, to a common denominator with those of the skull, 
no matter what the points may be from which the lengths are 
measured, and it would be difficult to persuade craniologists to 
give up measuring from the basion, even though the auricular 
point is one which can be found with equal ease in both cases. 
The statures given in my table can only be regarded as approxi- 
