Descriptions and measurements of some Maori and Moriori crania

As the subject of my paper will probably be new to many of you, it may be as well to make a few introductory remarks. We were all aware of the great value scientists attached to the brains, hair, etc., of various individuals and races, but, to quote Topinard, " Bones, on the other hand, have the inestimable advantage of presenting to us all that remains of ancient peoples of which there are no longer any living representative ; some extending back to one and two thousand years, others to ten and twenty thousand, when the various types had become less changed. When making a comparison of races, therefore, it should not be matter of surprise that such importance is attached to the study of the bones, and particularly of the skull—that noblest part of the human animal." When man was first studied in relation to the animals, early in the present century, it was noticed that in the former the brain case was directly above the face, and in the animals smaller and further back. From this arose the study of the facial angle, one of the earliest attempts of craniometry. Many angles were suggested, but it is only within comparatively recent times that the measurement has taken definite form