As with the Indian, such remains are still rare. Some measurements
of three "Smithsonian Mahlemute" skulls from the Yukon, collected by
William H. Dall, are given by Jeffries Wyman, and probably the same
specimens appear in the Otis Catalogue, the measurements in which are
regrettably not very reliable. These specimens can not now be located,
and the scarce data are of but little value. The three skulls examined
by Wyman were all mesocephalic.
It is now possible to report on 40 adult skulls from the lower Yukon
and the delta. An abstract of the measurements is given in the
next table. The data indicate a considerable local variation. All
the skulls, or very nearly all, are mesocephalic; but they differ
considerably in height and in all the facial features. The Pilot
Station group, from the apex of the delta, and hence the midst of the
Eskimo territory on the Yukon, is especially peculiar. Both the vault
and the face, in the series as a whole, range from low to high, and
much the same is true of the height of the nose and that of the orbits,
while the palate is exceptionally broad, giving a low index, all of
which would seem to indicate instability or conditions in change,
together probably with admixtures from farther up the river. We need
more material, particularly from the stretch of the river between the
apex of the delta and Paimute.