Before the structure of the brain was understood, Buffon spoke of it as a "mucous substance of no great importance." Its functional significance was so slightly appreciated that some people hardly suspected they had any brains, until an _accident_ revealed their existence. Latterly, however, it is generally understood that the perfection of an animal depends upon the number and the development of the organs controlled by the nervous system, the sovereign power of which is symbolized by a grand cerebrum, the throne of Reason. That animal which is so low in the scale of organization as to resemble a vegetable, belongs to an ascending series ending in man. The lowest species have no conscious perception, and their movements do not necessarily indicate sensation or volition. Instinct culminates in the _Articulates_, especially in Insects; while created intelligence reaches its acme in man, the highest representative of the _Vertebrates_. "All things by regular degrees arise-- From mere existence unto life, from life To intellectual power; and each degree Has its peculiar necessary stamp, Cognizable in forms distinct and lines."--LAVATER. [Illustration: Fig. 76. Outline of Skulls. 1. European. 2. Negro. 3. Tiger. 4. Hedge Hog. 5. Sloth.] Man, in the faculties of mind, possesses more than a complement for instinct; some of the lower animals, however, seem to share his rational nature, and to a certain degree become responsible to him. Finally, the manifestations of mind bear a relation to the development of cerebral substance, and to the bodily organization which supplies the brain with blood. Fig. 76 shows the relative amount of brain matter in the lower animals, compared with that of man; the peculiarities of each agreeing with its cerebral conformation. It is easier to measure the capacity of skulls in different races than to procure and weigh their brains. The following table has been published. CRANIAL CAPACITY OF HUMAN RACES. Race. CUBIC INCHES. Swedes,................. 100.00 Anglo-Saxons,............ 96.60 Finns,................... 95.00 Anglo-Americans,......... 94.30 Esquimaux,............... 86.32 North America Indians,... 84.00 Native Africans,......... 83.70 Mexicans,................ 81.70 American Negros,......... 80.80 Peruvians and Hottentots, 75.30 Australians,............. 75.00 Gorilla, adult,.......... 34.50 Idiot,................... 22.57