Head of humérus, covered with limonite

Mr. RoBEBTS stated, that he had received a letter from a friend wbo had been inspecting the works now going on in the isle of Portland for the purpose of national defence, who stated that several ancient cists had been discovered there. In one of them was a skeleton buried in a sitting posture ; and in the same cist were the bones of a dog', some bones of a 46er, twenty-three âint flakes, and a quantity of charcoal. His friend said he hoped to obtain them, and send them to the Society. This was, he believed, the best known instance of the discovery of the skeleton of one of the ancient huniers of this country buried with his dog, his implements of chase, and with some meal for his support, in the manner now practised by the North-American Indians.

Mr. C. Cabteb Blake regretted that the spécimens were thrown together in such a manner, that there was no positive évidence of the association of the human remains with those of the ancient fossil rodents, etc., described by Messrs. Lund and Claussen as having been found in other bone cavesr in Brazil. Thèse remains were, no doubt, very ancient, but there was no positive évidence that they were of the same âge as the fossil fauna ; and in absence of further évidence, it would be rash to hazard a conjecture respecting them. In référence to the évidence of great antiquity afforded by the human remains found in bone caves, there was a great principle involved in the question whether those remains were found below or above the stalagmite of the caves. It was o wing to the suggestion and assistance of Mr. Davies, that he had been enabled to lay the facts before the meeting. In the cave at Brixham, there were discovered flint implements mingled with the bones of extinct animais ; but in Kent's Hole human remains were discovered; and it was most important to ascertain whether they belonged to the same period as the extinct animais. Unfortunately, no distinct évidence could be obtained respecting the exact positions in which the bones were found, as they had been purchased from dealers. It was the first instance of human remains having been discovered in Kent's Hole, and they were encrusted with stalagmite, which might hâve proved their great antiquity. He hoped the members présent would not be silent when such important évidence was laid before them.

The Chai BM AN (Mr. G. Witt) observed, that the papers which had been read, though very interesting, were not, perhaps, calculated to produce much discussion. They would be very valuable when recorded in the Journal of the Society.

The meeting then adjourned to the 14th inst.

CClxviii JOURNAL OF THE ANTHBOFOLOOICAL SOCIETY.

TuESDAY, JuNB 14th, 1864.

Dr. Jakes Humt, Pbesident, in thb Chub.

The minutes of tbe previous meeting were read and confirmed.

The uames of the Fellows elected since the last meeting were read as under — Sir John Benn Walsh, Bart., M.P. ; John Ashbury, Esq. ; William Smith, Esq. ; Charles Tuckett, jun., Esq. ; H. Driver, Esq. ; F. Fearon, Esq. ; S. Smith Travers, Esq. ; O. F. Waterfield, Esq. ; John Mortimer, Esq.; The Rev. S. Beal, Chaplain Royal Maine Artillery; Edward Peacock, Esq., F.S.A.; A. Norman Tate, Esq., F.C.S. ; J. B. Mhrrlees, Esq.

Local Secretaries — Richard Lee, Esq., F.A.S.L., Bradford; George T. Hine, Esq., Brisbane, Queensland; Charles Linder, Esq., Labrador; Commander Bedford Pim, R.N., Nicaragua.

Mr. HiOGiNS also announced the deaths of Professor Waitz, and of Professor Rudolph Wagner, who were Hon. Fellows of the Society.

The Président stated that the Council had that day unanimously elected Mr. Charles Carter Blake, F.G.S., as Curator, Librarian, and Assistant-Secretary of the Society.

Mr. HioGiKs then read the following communication from Dr. Paul Broca, who had contributed to the Society's muséum six casts of the skuUs referred to in his paper.

To the Président of the Anthropological Society of London,

Paris, May 20th, 1864.

Mr. Pbesident, — I beg you will be so good as to offer in my name to the Society over which you préside six plaster casts, repre-

senting, 1. Three Basque crania obtained from the cemetery of Z

(Guipuscoa). 2. Three crania from the grave in the cavern of Orrouy (Bronze âge). I hope that the Anthropological Society of London will be good enough to accept this présent as some évidence of my gratitude for the favours which it bas heaped upon me. I feel called upon to add some information respecting thèse crania. Their history will be found in the Bulletins of the Paris Anthropological Society; viz., that of the Basque crania, vol. iii, p. 503 to 579, and vol. iv, p. 33 to 72 ; and that of the crania from Orrouy, vol. iv, p. 510, 512, and vol. v, p. 56. ,

The three spécimens which I bave chosen from the sixty Basque crania which I bave deposited in our muséum, represent the two

cranial types of the Basques of the village of Z . No. 24 is the

most brachycephalic of the séries; this form is entirely exceptional ; of the sixty crania, the cephalic index of which is between 80 and 81 per cent., five of which the index is between 81 and 82 per cent., one between 82 and 83 per cent., and lastly one the index

BBOCÀ ON BASQUE CBANIA. Cclxix

of which amounts to 83 ; it is the latter which bears the number 24, and of which I send you a cast. In order to comprehend the bearing of this fact, it will suffice to remember that amongst the three hundred and eighty-four Parisian skulls in our muséum, thcre are eightytwo of which the index is comprised between 80 and 83, and seventyfour between 83 and 92. If we make use of the division which I established three years ago {Bulletins, vol. ii, p. 507), we perçoive that there is not one truly brachycephalous skuli amongst the sixty de-

rived from Z , the truly brachycephali being thosQ of which the

index exceeds 85. The twelve skulls of which the index is comprised between 80 and 83 are merely sub-brachycephali, if we employ the division which I originated and published more than a year before

we possessed Basque skulls. Amongst the sixty skulls from Z ,

there are only two which sufficiently approach to the brachycephalous form to be considered as brachycephali.

The two other Basque skulls which I send you are Nos. 21 and 39, representing the dolichocephalous type, which considerably prédominâtes in the population of Z . Thèse are not the most dolicho-

cephalic of the séries ; their index is about 74, and there are some of which the index is so low as 71. But I hâve chosen thèse two skulls, because they represented the most common type. Amongst our sixty crania, there are at least thirty which resemble them considerably.

If I may be allowed to express a wish, I should ask you to indicate on the labels of thèse Basque skulls that No. 24 présents a brachycephalic form entirely exceptional amongst the inhabitants of Z— — . Those who visit your muséum should on no account be led to believe

that the population of Z comprises one brachycephale in every

three individuals, whereas in reality the proportion is that of one to thirty.

I hâve not been able to sélect as I could hâve wished the spécimens of skulls from the sepulchral cave of Orrouy (Bronze âge). Many of thèse skulls, which I should hâve chosen in préférence, are sufficiently complète to be measured, but not sufficiently so to be cast from. Those which could be more or less measured number sixteen, and there are five others which are too incomplète to be exactly measured. Amongst thèse twenty-six skulls, there are three true dolichocephali, of which the index is confined between 71 and 75; two subdolichocephali, between 75 and '77*7; four mesaticephali, between 77*7 and 80; five subbrachycephali, between 80 and 85 ; and finally, two true brachycephali, of which the index is 85 or beyond.

No. 4, which I send you, is mesaticephalic, 79*7 ; No. 8 is subbrachycephalic, 81-5; finally, No. 11 is brachycephalic, 85*3 percent.

The dolichocephalic crania hâve not been cast, and the same is the case with the most brachycephalic skull of the séries, of which the index is so much as 87.

I shall caH your attention to No. 8, which présents the most common form in the Orrouy sepulchre. This skull, unfortunately deprived of the facial boncs, is remarkable for the smallness of the forehead, for the' enormous development of the pariétal régions, and above ail for

CClxZ JOUBNAL OV THE ANTHEOFOLOOICAL SOCIETY.

the considérable flattening which exists on each side on the level of the temporo-parietal suture. When this singular form is examined, the first idea which arises in the mind is, that it was due to pathological causes ; but it is reproduced in eight of the Orrouy skuUs ; there is even one skuU in which it is more distinguishable than it is in No. 8. This latéral flattening does not appear to me to be due to artificial déformation, as it coincides with a number of characters, and especially with the narrowness of the forehead, which evidently appears not to hâve been caused by a pressure exercised on the posterior portions of the head. I do not venture, however, to allège that it is a race character, but if it is not a race character, it is certainly one peculiar to a family, and transmitted heredîtarily during some générations. What leads me to incline towards this hypothesis, is that, in the Orrouy grave, there were to be found a large number of humeri pierced through at the fossa of the olecranon. Unfortunately, the complète humeri alone hâve been preserved; they number thirty-two, and eight of thèse are naturally pierced with a large foramen. This perforation is very rare in the existing or past races of Europe. I hâve only found it five times amongst more than a thousand humeri, which I hâve extracted, with the assistance of M. de Eoucy, from the large Merovingian sépulture of Chelles (Oise). Mr. Barnard Davis writes to me that he bas not observed it in any humérus from the stone or bronze periods which he bas examined at my request in one of the richest collections in England. It only exists in two of the humeri of the stone âge, which I bave extracted from the long barrow of Chamant (Oise), and which number about fifty ; I, however, entertain doubts as to one of thèse humeri, in which the hole is not perfectly regular. The proportion of eight perforated humeri amongst the thirty-two from Orrouy is consequently most extraordinary ; but, up to the présent time, nothing sanctions the supposition that this is a character of one of the ancient races of Gaul; it is exceedingly probable that it was a character or perhaps an abnormity which had become hereditary in a family, or in a small tribe, simiiar to the prématuré bifurcation of the humerai artery in a little German village, referred to by Tiedemann. And if this is the case, the supposition is not unwarrantable that this singular form, which is so fréquent amongst the Orrouy skuUs, is also a family character.

I bave written with a pen on each of the six skuUs their internai capacity, expressed in cubic centimètres. The other measures can be taken on the plaster moulds ; and I shall hère oâer to you a gênerai remark on this subject.

The plaster casts swell in volume as they harden, and this is the reason why moulders are accustomed to bind round their matrix with many twists of firm rope. It is probable that if they wait some days before they withdraw the mould from the matrix dilatation will not be produced. But, to gain time, they remove the mould before it is sufficiently solid to resist, and dilatation consequently takes place, as it is not obviated by the application of external pressure. It results that, in ail the casts which I was able to compare with the originals, the principal diameters are augmented about two millimètres; the

BBOCA ON BASQUE CBANIA.. Cclxxi

horizontal circumference is augmentée! to six, or even to eîght or ten millimètres, and the others in proportion. That which is most incon- Yenient is the fact that the amplitude of this dilatation is not uniform. It varies according to the more or less fineness of the plaster, according to its degree of purity, according as to whether it is soaked to a greater or less extent in water ; secondly, according to whether the mould is hoUow or empty, and whether the bed of plaster is more or less thick, This cause of error, which is already very considérable, is further aggravated when we recast from the first mould in such a manner, that if we take many successive castings, as are made when exchanges take place from one muséum to another, the volume and even the form of the skuUs can be considerably modified ; I say the form, because it is improbable that dilatation could be absolutely regular in every sensé.

I hâve thought it right to add to the casts which I send you a table of the principal measures taken on the actual skull. I propose to take this step every time I shall hâve to send casts either to you or to other muséums. And I shall take the liberty of calling the attention of craniologists to this point. It appears to me that in future it will be right to adopt as a rule the practice of sending tables of measurements with casts. It will not be necessary to give in thèse tables ail the measures. It will be sufficient to take the principal diameters and the longest curves. They will enable those who examine the casts to obtain afterwards proportional réductions of the exact value of the other measures.

There are seven measures on the table. 1. The maximum anteroposterior dtameter, from the glabellar eminence to the most receding part of the squama occiputs, 2. The maximum transverse diameter, taken from the point which gives the greatest divarication between the compass-points. This point may be on the pariétal, on the temporal, or on the lower or posterior angle of the pariétal. 8. The minimum frontal diameter, taken at the lower part of the frontal bone, above the external orbital processes. 4. The hasilo-hregmatic diameter, measured by placing one of the compass-points on the centre of the anterior border of the occipital foramen, and the other extremity on the bregma, t. c, on the médian point of the coronal suture. 6. The great médian occipito-Jrontal curve, measured from the root of the nose (naso-frontal suture) to the posterior border of the foramen magnum, passing by the bregma, the sagittal suture, and the external occipital protubérance. 6. The maximum horizontal cir^ cumference, representing the greatest capacity of the hat. 7. The biauricular transverse circumference, measured with the aid of a tape, which passes transversely under the basis cranii which passes next on each side opposite the meatus auditorius extemus, and which then passes over the bregma.

I hâve thought it right, M. le Président, to submît to you thèse varions explanations to assure you of the exactitude of the craniometrical observation which can be made on the casts I send to the Anthropological Society of London. The détails into which I hâve entered hâve perhaps the fault of being too long and too minute.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHICAN

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