THE DESCRIPTION OF A NEANDERTHALOID AUSTRA-

46
A. St N. Burkitt and J. I. Hunter
The forward projection of the lateral part of the lambdoid suture found in
the Neanderthal .skull and some anthropoids, is remarkably well seen in
No. 792 (fig. 8). This projection reaches to the same level as the lambda.
In R. 7 and S. 1157 (Australian Museum) this projection is well shown on the
right side while corresponding to it on the left side there is an intercalated
bone. This association with intercalated bones is not uncommon as was pointed
out by Klaatsch. There is a transverse occipital suture on both sides in No. 792
extending medially from the lambdoid suture for 15 mm.
An examination of the occipital region of No. 792 reveals a well-marked
torus occipitalis transversus. Like several Roth specimens, e.g., (R. 60, R. 62,
R. 80) the lower border of this torus in No. 792 is situated at a higher level
than the sulcus transversus. The external occipital protuberance is not
developed; the torus is continuous as an uniform elevation across the mid-line.
In No. 477 (Medical School Museum) there is a torus of an even greater degree
of development which presents two lateral tubercles. In the mid-line it also
projects downwards into a V-shaped external occipital protuberance. The
upper border of the torus in No. 792 representing the linea nuchae suprema is
separated by a shallow groove from the remainder of the squama occipitalis.
Two centimetres from the mid-line the torus presents on each side a prominent
tubercle which is more projecting than the median portion of the torus. The
internal aspect of the occipital at this point shows the impression of the
occipital lobe of the brain, more marked on the left side, where the thickness
of the bone is 10 mm.; this is to be compared with the maximum thickness
in the mid-line which was found to b6 18 mm. The lower border of the torus
(linea nuchae superior) forms a thick rounded edge; a shallow groove separates
it from the upper portion while it forms inferiorly a rolled projecting border,
over which the planum nuchale passes into the squama occipitalis. The
muscular impressions upon the planum nuchale reach only a moderate degree
of development in this specimen.
The cubic capacity of No. 792 measured by chilled shot in the usual
manner, was 1218 c.c. The water displacement of a cast made later after
the skull had been sectioned was 1211 c.c. Turner(20) found that the mean
cubic capacity of 34 adult crania in his series was 1230 c.c. Duckworth
determined the average cranial capacity of the adult Australian aboriginal
to be 1246-5 c.c. from measurements on 150 skulls.
The skull is markedly dolicho-cephalic, the cephalic index being 65-02. It
is also markedly phenozygous as already indicated (fig. 9).
The General Relative Proportions of the Craniumn
Horizontal curves on the glabella-inion plane, on a plane 20 mm. above
this and at the point of deepest depression of the nose, were made with the
aid of Lissauer's diagraph, the maximum projection of the superciliary ridges
being also shown (fig. 2).
The usual flattening of the temporal and sphenoidal regions found in