HEADS IN PROFILE 379 
the skull. At the front end of the skull it is more 
difficult to get such a point as we want. The point 
needed should correspond with the lower limit of the 
frontal lobe of the cerebrum. If the base of the front 
part of the skull is preserved in the region of the 
presphenoid, then we have the level or plane which will 
serve our purpose. A line drawn along the skull from 
the level of the presphenoid to the asterion would give 
us just such a base line as we need, for between that base 
line and the vault of the skull lies almost the whole of 
the cerebrum. The anterior part of the base, however, is 
usually broken away or decayed, and we have to fall back 
on some other point. The one which seems to me most 
suitable is the external angular process of the frontal, or, 
to be more precise, the junction of this process with the 
malar bone (fig. 137). The base line, then, on which we 
propose to orientate a cranium for examination is one 
which begins anteriorly at or near the fronto-malar 
junction and passes across the hinder lower angle of 
the parietal behind (fig. 141). 
Seeing we are to place so much reliance on the external 
angular process and its junction with the malar bone, we 
must look closely at its relationship to the brain. In 
fig. 137, B, the relationship of this process to the brain is 
shown in a modern English skull. The angular process, 
marked by two **, is 5 mm. (^ inch) above the level of 
that part of the base of the skull on which the frontal 
lobes of the brain rest. Numerous observations on 
modern human skulls have shown that the outer end 
of the process — the frontal-malar junction — fluctuates a 
little above or a little below the level of the brain ; but 
for the purpose we have in view it is a reliable enough 
guide and gives us approximately the anterior brain level. 
This rule holds good, not only for skulls of the modern 
type, but also for those ancient ones of the Neander- 
thal type. Strong and massive as the angular process 
is in the Gibraltar skull, its outer end is a fairly accurate 
index to the level of the basal parts of the frontal lobes 
(fig. 137, A). When, however, we examine the condition 
