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Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Whoa! That's sent me off on a mad train of thought. Maybe living on an island and being isolated from Europe explains the strangeness of us British people then? Does this mean that other groups who live tightly packed on islands might suddenly 'adapt' to their environments? We could see genetic mutations in people living on Manhattan or in Hong Kong, people suddenly becoming smaller because they have less space to live in.

Lalwendë, this 'Merican did not mean to imply that the island on which you live would somehow shorten your or your fellow islanders' stature. One must also take into account that the British Isles, being the tropical paradises that they are, would obviously produce such fresh produce (i.e. mangos, bananas, pineapples, etc) which, when coupled with all of that sunshine and surfing, would tend to stave off the shortening effects that islands obviously produce.

And one day, when your homogenously-populated island receives visitors from the outside world, whether by boat (those things that float on water [not witches!]) and/or by airplane (those shiny bird-looking things), some 'tall' genes are bound to get through and help out.

I think what the link and I were trying to point out is that on an island, resources are more limited. If, for a species that is large on a big island (like a continent), there is no reason to be 'large,' like to ward off predators or to appear in a Peter Jackson movie, then a species may tend to become smaller over time, thereby increasing the number of unique individuals that can live on the same limited resource.

Wasn't there a book by the name, "It Takes an Island to Feed a Mumakil"? And just what would this one mumakil do after it sacked the one city and stomped the one horse on the island? Two mumakil would starve...but if they got smaller, like the size of rats...hmmm.

P.S. Hope that your fever has come down.

And regarding giants and pyramids...please!

Just why can't we allow that ordinary people can build extraordinary things? It's always giants or space aliens or some super-advanced society that mysteriously sunk under the sea (all of which conveniently leave no traces, yet there's all of these ordinary tools that ordinary humans could have used to construct a pyramid laying about. It's obviously a conspiracy!). You, yes you, could build the pyramids. Sure, it would take a little know-how, a little time and effort and most likely a little more help than just your close friends, but it could be done.

If you are great at sales, have a high charisma score or happen to be the leader with a large and compliant following, you could actually have people build a pyramid for you - and if you sell it right, the builders may even pay you to participate.

Anyway, all for now and I'll try to get back on thread in the morning.