AN EXPERIMENT IN RECONSTRUCTION 
373 
ridges, external angular processes, and zygomatic arches 
have the form and dimensions shown in fig. 135, B. 
These processes are of a similar shape and size in ancient 
skulls of the modern type. The outer part, which ends 
in the external angular process, is demarcated more or less 
sharply from the elevations of the brow ridges situated 
over the root of the nose. The external angular process 
projects only 5 or 6 mm. beyond the contour of the 
forehead and brain case. 
We now turn to the Piltdown skull (fig. 132). Only 
one part is preserved of the supra-orbital region, that is 
the external angular process of the left side. Although 
this process is thicker and stouter than in any modern 
skull I have ever seen, it is not projecting or prominent. 
Indeed, as will be seen when the skull is viewed from 
the front, it does not project more than 3 or 4 mm. 
beyond the lateral contour of the forehead (fig. 178, 
p. 482). That is exactly the opposite condition to what 
we expected to find in a very ancient representative of 
humanity. As regards this feature, the Piltdown skull 
is ultra-modern. It is just such a condition as we should 
expect to find correlated with a large brain. 
A view of the skull from above gives us an opportunity 
of forming an opinion on two of its chief dimensions — 
its length and width. In Dr Smith Woodward's recon- 
struction the maximum length is 190 mm. — approximately 
the same as in an average modern Englishman. In the 
same reconstruction the width is represented as 150 mm. — 
a wide skull, 8 or 10 mm. more than is usual amongst 
English people. The thickness of the skull must be 
taken into account in estimating these dimensions ; we 
must reduce each of these measurements by 10 mm. to 
make them comparablewith the more slender modern skull. 
Taking Dr Smith Woodward's measurements, 190 for 
length and 150 for width, we see that the width is 79 
per cent, of the length. The Piltdown skull is thus on 
the verge of being classed amongst the round-heads — the 
brachycephalic group of humanity, with a width proportion 
of 80 per cent, or more. 
