Measurements made in the same manner of two Europeans, one an adult male and the other a young man, give the figures following, namely:—
| — | Adult. | Young man. |
|---|---|---|
| Ground to calf of leg (thickest part) | 10¼ | 10 |
| Ground to centre of cap of knee | 13 | 14½ |
| Ground to fork | 21½ | 25¾ |
| Ground to umbilicus | 29½ | 30¾ |
| Ground to chin | 43½ | 43¾ |
| Ground to tips of fingers (the hand being placed against the thigh) | 19½ | 19 |
| Length of arm from point of shoulder to elbow | 10¼ | 10 |
| Length of arm from elbow to tips of fingers | 13 | 13 |
These measurements, few as they are, seem to show that the arms and legs of the male blacks are longer than those of Europeans. Collins relates that Capt. Paterson found up the Hawkesbury natives who appeared to him to have longer legs and arms than those of the natives of Port Jackson and the coast, due, it was suggested, to their being obliged from infancy, in order to gain a living, to climb trees, hanging by their arms and resting on their feet at the utmost stretch of the body.[1]
Mr. William Skene gives the following measurements of three blacks living at Portland Bay, who, he thinks, are rather under the sizes of some tribes[2]:—
| — | Jemmy. | Tommy. | Billy. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 25 to 30 years | 50 years (about) | 25 years (about) |
| Height | 5 ft. 7¼ in. | 5ft. 6 in. | 5ft. 3 in. |
| Rouud tbe sboulders | 44 in. | 41 in. | * |
| From shoulder to palm of hand | 33 in. | 31 in. | 29½ in. |
| Leg | 32 in. | 28½ in. | 29 in. |
| Girth of thigh (above trousers) | 19 in. | 19 in. | 20 in. |
| Girth of waist | 32 in. | 30½ in. | 33½ in. |
The color of the natives of Victoria is a chocolate-brown, in some nearly answering to No. 41 of M. Broca's color-types, in others more nearly approaching No. 42; the eyes are very dark-brown (almost black), corresponding nearly to No. 1 in M. Broca's types; the "white of the eye" is in all cases yellowish, the tint being deeper in some than in others; the hair of the head is so deep a brown as to appear in many lights jet-black, and jet-black in some it is. The beard is black. The hair of the head is usually abundant, and waved or in large curls. The beard is full, and generally crisp. The brown color of the hair of the head is most often seen in that of the women and girls. The hair growing on the back of the boys and girls is very fine and soft, and in color brown (not very dark).
