The Descent of Man

inhabitants of Britain have "much more capacious
brain-cases" than the ancient inhabitants.
Nevertheless, it must be admitted that some
skulls of very high antiquity, such as the famous
one of Neanderthal, are well developed
and capacious. (81. In the interesting article just
referred to, Prof. Broca has well remarked, that
in civilised nations, the average capacity of the
skull must be lowered by the preservation of a
considerable number of individuals, weak in
mind and body, who would have been promptly
eliminated in the savage state. On the other
hand, with savages, the average includes only
the more capable individuals, who have been
able to survive under extremely hard conditions
of life. Broca thus explains the otherwise
inexplicable fact, that the mean capacity of the
skull of the ancient Troglodytes of Lozere is
greater than that of modern Frenchmen.) With
respect to the lower animals, M.E. Lartet (82.
'Comptes-rendus des Sciences,' etc., June 1,
1868.), by comparing the crania of tertiary and