HEADS IN PROFILE 389 
more than one specimen at our disposal. The size of 
the mastoid process suggests a male, but the small area 
for the attachment of the neck is strongly in favour of 
the skull being that of a woman. The small part of the 
supra-orbital ridge, preserved over the outer angle of 
the left orbit, is stout, but neither long nor prominent. 
In the male we expect a greater supra-orbital develop- 
ment than in the female. The supra-orbital ridge of 
Eoanthropus suggests a woman's rather than a man's 
skull. The mandible is big ; so are the teeth ; there is 
a prominently pointed canine tooth. These characters 
rather suggest a male. But if they are female characters, 
then in the male we shall find even a greater simian 
development of the teeth, for amongst the great 
anthropoids males are provided with larger and more 
prominent teeth than females. On the whole, the 
evidence favours the opinion that the Piltdown skull is 
that of a woman. 
The importance of the small occipital fragment becomes 
again apparent in the reconstruction of the hinder part of 
the head (fig. 141). In the test skull part of the suture 
line for the occipital bone was preserved on the left 
parietal bone. The same suture line was also preserved 
on the occipital fragment of the right side. By reversing 
the fragment and transposing it from the right to the left 
side indications are obtained for the reconstruction of the 
hinder part of the test head (see fig. 141). In the case 
of the Piltdown specimen the occipital fragment gives 
us a clue to the width and backward projection of the 
occipital region (fig. 142). 
The result of our examination of the Piltdown skull in 
profile has been to emphasise its close resemblance in size 
and conformation to average skulls of the modern type. 
But there are also differences. Some of these have been 
mentioned — the thickness of the bones, the form of the 
angular or malar process of the frontal bone, the lofty 
character of the frontal bone in the upper part of the 
forehead. Two other peculiar features require mention. 
One of these is shown in fig. 142. The temporal line, 
