200 CRANIA BRITANNICA. [CHAP. V I I .
good magnitude and dolichocephalic, with a fair development of breadth *. The measurements
of 28 skulls derived fi'om the old Abbeys of Mayo, Galway, Aranmore, and Kerry confirm this.
Among the averages they alford are :—
A. B. E.
F.
80-5
73-
14 Men .
14 Women
B.
21-3
20-4
7-5
7-2 5-4
G.
5'3
5-2
J.
•75
•75
Kt.
•70
•72
Means . 76-7 20^85 7-35 5-5 5'25 '75 -71
The measurements of the heads of 32 living men, in Kerry, give these means, B. 22-4, E. 7-68,
F. 5-99, J. -776, which, allowing for the integuments and hair, agree pretty well with the dimensions
of the above 14 skulls of men. There is not any deficiency of development in the region of
the anterior lobes of the brain, unless it be a want of height. A hatter in Galway stated that the
usual sizes of hats sold by him were 6|-, 7, 7i, and 7i, so that the size 7 may be regarded as not
uncommon. The heads of the women in western Ireland are above the average of English women.
The complexion is rather dark, and two forms of features may be distinguished, but they
do not appear to be separate, as they are seen to obtain in most districts, without any marked
difiference of proportion. One, wliich is the handsome Celtic countenance, is long, having a long
nearly straight nose, its ridge mostly undulating, but not aquiline, and its tip projecting from
the face; wide cheek-bones ; mouth often heavy; the middle of the face sometimes prominent,
so as to produce a little of the hatchet form. The other, the unbeautiful, is shorter and broader,
with a wide forehead and cheek-bones, a smaller ugly nose, frequently having some concavity of
outline, and a wide mouth. We have not been able to trace the relations of either of these two
forms to long or short skulls, or to dark or light hair, but believe that no particular relationship
exists. Breadth of cheek-bones and narrowness of chin are general. The eyebrows are unusually
straight, and the eyes narrow and sunken. The colour of the hair, as in all other divisions
of the islands, is various ; but the proportions of different tints are peculiar. A rich dark
brown is especially prevalent, which often runs into black, and is sometimes inclined to reddish.
The " Celtic eye," or a combination which has the iris of some shade of grey or blue, generally
light or dark bluish-grey i, but often ash-grey, shaded by long, thick, dai-k eyelashes, accompanied
•ndth this dark hair, is frequent. In one form or other it is perhaps the most characteristic
feature of the Gaelic races.
In estimating the colour of the eyes and hair of the British populations we shall avail ourselves
of the weU-matured method of Dr. Beddoe, whose attention has been directed to their
study with great perseverance and success. In the most friendly manner he has permitted us
to make use of his numerous observations, the results of much acuteness and accuracy, and of a
cultivation no one else enjoys §.
can never be obliterated, but must remain as evidences of the
great stature and valour of the native Irish race as long as this
world shall last."—Ulster Joum. of Archffiol. 1858, vol. iv.
p. 200.
We found the mean stature of eight Kerry men to be 5 feet
8 '5 in., Dr. Beddoe of thirty-six Kerry men, 5 ft. 8'15 in.
* Retzius included his Celtic Irish among his European
orthognathous dolichocephali. (Blick p^ Ethnologiens niirvarande
Standpunkt, 1857, S. 4.)
t A. Internal capacity, in ounces avoirdupois of Calais
sand; B. circumference, in inches, like the three following;
E. length ; F. breadth ; G. height ; J. proportion of breadth
to length taken as I'OO; and K. of height to length as I'OO.
J Sometimes a deep sea-blue, the òleu de mer foncé of
Baron de Belloguet, observed by him in Bretagne. (Ethnog.
Gaul. p. 206.) Mr. Price does not fail to make the " Celtic
eye " of the Irish harmonize with his hypothesis. lie tells us,
in solemn terms, that " turf fuel does not appear to darken
the iris as coal does."—Essay, p. 103. Still he was an acute
observer.
§ See Dr. Beddoe's " Contribution to Scottish Ethnology,"
1853. In this little work, which, in order to avoid the com-
• r
CNAP. VII.J ETHNOLOGICAL RELATIONS OE THE PRESENT POPULATION. 201
In the city of Dublin, among 1172 persons, 522 men and 650 women, Dr. Beddoe's index
of nigrescence was found to be 33-3; the percentage of Hght eyes was 61-9, of intermediate 15-,
and of dark 23-; among 100 gentry, more properly an Anglo-Irish class, it descended to 18^5,
the colours of the eyes being proportionately 15^, and 19^. Among 125 persons at Athlone the
index ascended to 59^2, 65-6 having light eyes, 14^4 having intermediate, and 20- dark; and among
131 in Ballymahon and Longford to 60-4, the proportion of light eyes being 67-1, intermediate
16'8, and dark 16^. Among 103 of the peasantry of Moytura, a wUd and elevated district of the
county of Sligo, it rose to 75'7, the percentages of colour of eyes being 53^3 light, 16 5 intermediate,
and 30^1 dark. In the town of Galway, among 300 individuals, the majority women, it
was 54^4, the colours of the eyes bearing the proportions of 66-4 light, 13-9 intermediate, and
19'6 dark. In lar-Connaught, a rough granitic country with an aboriginal population, it rose
in 95 observations of the two sexes to 70-1, the percentages of the colom-s of the eyes being
respectively 65'2, 16^8, and 18^. And in Clifden, the extreme west of Connemara, among a
people of rather low stature, with pretty good foreheads and cheek-bones but moderately
expressed, in upwards of 100 of the population, the majority being men, the index of nigrescence
amounted to 89-6, the colours of the eyes in 100 being 60-2 light, 20-7 intermediate, and 18-9
dark. These proportions strikingly display the fact of the greater prevalence of the lighter
" Celtic eyes " in districts in which melanosity of hair is increased.
In the county of Kerry, among a fuU-sized, rather large people, there is a strong tendency
to a deep brown and very handsome hue of hair. This is sometimes seen with a paUid but
swarthy countenance and fine features, when it would be difficult to distinguish the people
from those of Italy and the south of Europe. A more florid complexion is frequent, which is
at times fair. The peculiarities, therefore points of distinction, would be found in the eyebrows
(which are straight, and make, with the projecting superciliary ridges, a horizontal line above the
eyes), the grey or blue eyes*, the large prominent and sinuous nose, the narrow chin, and wide
cheek-bones. Occasionally a very prognathous countenance is seen.
We pass over the populations of the east coast and the north of Ireland without further
remark, because these, from the large intermixture they have for ages been subject to with
mon error of concluding from preconceived views, imperfect
observation, and inadequate data, is based upon the numerical
method {averages obtained in the statistical manner), he has
explained that he takes three colours of eyes as the first element
in his tabulation. These are light eyes, eyes of an intermediate
or neutral tint, and dark eyes. Under each of these
colours of eyes he ranges the different hues of hair, in the five
sections of red hair, fair hair, brown hair, dark hair, and
black hair. By this simple plan he notes the colour of the
hair in its relation to that of the eyes in a Table of fifteen columns.
And, for the purpose of obtaining a measure of the
intensity of tint of hair among any population, he has adopted
another column, the Index of Nigrescence. Brown hair he
takes as the standard, or intermediate colour. And, to obtain
the Index, he adds the Dark, and the Black doubled, on account
of the depth of its hue, together, and deducts the sum
of the Red and the Fair!
D - | - 2 N - R - F = I n d e x .
This Index becomes the test and easiest exponent of the tendency
to melanosity in the hair of any population. For comparison,
it may be stated that it is found to be 22' 8 per cent.
among 200 gentry of Clifton, Bristol, and Bath ; 29-5 among
1200 inhabitants of Bristol,—the percentage of the three
divisions of eyes being, among the first, light 60', intermediate
12-2, and dark 27-; among the latter respectively SG'/,
12-, and 3I-.
I t should be noticed that Mr. T . Price considered the colour
of the eye more unchangeable, hence a more steady and decided
characteristic, than the colour of the hair.—Essay, p. 37.
* The great prevalence of eyes of a light tint in Ireland is
supported by the documents appended to the Reports of the
Ophthalmic Hospital, Dublin, founded by Dr. W. R. Wilde.
The colours are arranged in a different manner from Dr.
Beddoe's tables, but the result is pretty much the same.
Malea. Fem.
12th Koport, 1857-68... 935 683
13th Eeport, 1858-59... 939 813
Total. Grey. Blao. Hasel. Bra.
1618 160 924 434 100
1752 161 1021 421 149
14th Eeport, 1859-60... 922 697 1619 444 666 335
""" 174
2796 2193 4989" 765 2611 1190 423
Air. T. Price's testimony is, " the eye among the Irish is
almost universally of the grey or bluish character."—Essav,
pp. 9 and 103.