Chap. IV. 
MANNER OF DEVELOPMENT. 
119 
in the skulls of the American aborigines, and connects 
this fact with their remarkably acute power of smell. 
The Mongolians of the plains of Northern Asia, according 
to Pallas, have wonderfully perfect senses ; and Prichard 
believes that the great breadth of their skulls across 
the zygomas follows from their highly-developed sense- 
organs. 30 
The Quechua Indians inhabit the lofty plateaux of 
Peru, and Alcide d’Orbigny states 31 that from con- 
tinually breathing a highly rarefied atmosphere they 
have acquired chests and lungs of extraordinary dimen- 
sions. The cells, also, of the lungs are larger and more 
numerous than in Europeans. These observations 
have been doubted ; but Mr. D. Forbes carefully 
measured many Aymaras, an allied race, living at the 
height of between ten and fifteen thousand feet ; and 
he informs me 32 that they differ conspicuously from the 
men of all other races seen by him, in the circum- 
ference and length of their bodies. In his table of 
measurements, the stature of each man is taken at 
1000, and the other measurements are reduced to this 
standard. It is here seen that the extended arms 
of the Aymaras are shorter than those of Europeans, 
and much shorter than those of Negroes. The legs are 
likewise shorter, and they present this remarkable pecu- 
liarity, that in every Aymara measured the femur is 
actually shorter than the tibia. On an average the 
length of the femur to that of the tibia is as 211 to 
252; whilst in two Europeans measured at the same 
30 Prichard, 4 Phys. Hist, of Mankind/ on the authority of Blumen- 
bach, yoI. i. 1851, p. 311 ; for the statement by Pallas, vol. iv. 1844, p. 
407. 
31 Quoted by Prichard, 6 Researches into the Phys. Hist, of Man- 
kind/ vol. y. p. 463. 
32 Mr. Forbes’ valuable paper is now published in the 1 Journal of 
the Ethnological Soc. of London,’ new series, vol. ii. 1870, p. 193. 
