The anterior basal length (basion-nasion) is a measurement of
importance, though its full meaning in anthropology is not yet entirely
clear. From data quoted by Martin (Lehrb., 715-716) it appears to
average in whites up to 10.3 centimeters in males and up to 10.1
centimeters in females, and is known to correlate closely with the
length of the vault. Secondarily it also correlates with stature.
Data on American Indians are not yet generally available, though in
preparation. The Munsee skulls gave the writer for the diameter the
means of 10.27 for the males and 10.02 for the females; the mound
skulls from Arkansas and Louisiana gave 10.45 for the males and 9.77
for the females.
An abstract of the data on the Eskimo skulls is given in the next
table. The values for the measurement are rather high, especially for
such short people. The percentage relation of the measurement to the
length of the skull appears also to be high. Manouvrier (1882, quoted
in Martin, Lehrb., 716) found this relation in French skulls to be
_53.6_ in the males and _54.7_ in the females.