1913-14.] The Place in Nature of the Tasmanian Aboriginal. 165 
of South and West Australia, of skulls in which the height was less than 
the breadth, the not infrequent sunk sagittal suture, the more marked 
parietal eminences, and the antero-posterior parietal depressions, point to a 
possible amount of intermixture and racial affinity of these Australian 
tribes with the Tasmanians.” 
The Breslau school of anthropologists apparently hold the directly 
opposite view, for Basedow (12), a pupil of Professor Klaatsch, states that 
“ the few superficial characteristics of the Tasmanian skull are not sufficient 
proof of his different origin from the Australian. It appears much more 
probable that in consequence of the comparatively recent separation of 
Tasmania from the mainland the Tasmanians have from that time first 
inherited their superficial differential characteristics.” Basedow concludes 
by stating quite bluntly that the “ Tasmanian was an insular form of the 
genuine Australian.” The pupil’s view is apparently held by the master, 
for we find Klaatsch stating that “ the Tasmanians do not show any nearer 
relationships to other races than the Australians.” He adds that the 
separation of the two races probably occurred a very long time ago 
Alsberg (13) would appear to agree with Klaatsch. 
Between the two extreme views above quoted there appears to be an 
intermediate opinion represented by Haddon, Keane, and many other 
anthropologists. For the illustration of this school of thought one char- 
acteristic quotation must suffice, though it would be easy to multiply 
examples. Haddon (14), in his Races of Man and their Distribution , 
published in 1911, says: “It is generally believed that Australia was 
originally inhabited, or at all events in parts, by Papuans or Negritoes, 
who wandered on foot to the extreme south of that continent. When 
Bass’ Strait was formed, those who were cut off from the mainland formed 
the ancestors of the Tasmanians, who never advanced beyond an early 
stage of Stone-Age culture. Later, a pre-Dravidian race migrated into 
Australia, and overran the continent and absorbed the sparse aboriginal 
population. Since then they have practically remained isolated from the 
rest of the world. Their languages bear no relation to the Austronesian or 
Oceanic linguistic family.” A somewhat similar view was advanced by 
one of us in 1909 (Berry, 6). 
Whether the divergent views as to the commonality of race of 
Australians and Tasmanians be quoted in extenso or but briefly as above, it is 
clear that all are based on either pure theory or on certain slight superficial 
osteological resemblances or differences according to the opinions of 
the author. 
We now propose to submit this question of the community of race or other- 
