292 OBIGIKAL AETICLE3. 



iu which it is seen ; it also varies somewhat in its position, so as to 

 present much diversity in the angle which its plane forms with that 

 of the vertical line of the cranium ; but it is always situated about 

 the point of junction of the sagittal and lambdoidal sutures. This 

 particular spot is commonly the centre of the flatness, which extends 

 upwards upon the parietals and do^vTiwards on the occipital, in dif- 

 ferent degrees in difterent examples. The flatness itself is seldom 

 perfect, for the progressive growth of the head, after the flattening 

 influence has ceased to operate iu infancy, has almost always occa- 

 sioned some rounding of the surface, so as to give it a slight con- 

 vexity. Nevertheless, the parieto-occipital flatness is very mai'ked, 

 and gives the idea of its having been produced by impression upon a 

 plane. It is by no means always quite symmetrical, but, on the 

 contrary, it is very often more apparent and aKtensive on one side 

 than the other, as if the head had not rested ujjon the plane exactly 

 at right angles to its long axis. It occiu'S in the skulls of females 

 as well as of males, and is thus shown not to be any mark of distinc- 

 tion, such as the distorting processes to which the head was sub- 

 jected iu infancy among the Scythian tribes described by Hippocra- 

 tes, among the ancient Aymaras, among the Chenooks and other 

 races of North and South America. With these people there was a 

 notion of nohility attached to the deformed head, which was wholly 

 unapproachable by the inferior orders, such as slaves and women. 

 In many cases, the diameter of the area of the flatness is fully four 

 inches in every direction. It is impossible to estimate the compara- 

 tive prevalence of this flatness with accuracy. In the plates of the 

 " Crania Britaunica," it is plainly perceptible in the skull from 

 G-reen Grate Hill Barrow, PI. 4 ; that from End Lowe, PI. 13 ; that 

 from Codford Barrow, PI. 14. (Pig. 1.) where it is especially 

 apparent ; that from the Juniper Green Cist, PL 15 ; that from the 

 Lesmurdie Cist, PI. 16 ; that from the Newbigging Cist in the 

 Orkneys, PI. 21 ; that from the Kinaldie Cist, PL 25 ; that from the 

 Wetton Hill Barrow, PL 34 ; that from Green Lowe, PL 41 ; 

 and that from Ballard Down Barrow, PL 45. Thus we have 

 reason to presume that it was a very general peculiarity of the 

 aboriginal inhabitants of Britain and its islets. Parieto-occipital 

 flatness is obviously present in two ancient Orcadian crania, derived 

 from Cists in the Island of Pomona, in my collection. A skull 

 disinterred from a Kistvaen in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, to be 

 figured in the " Crania Britaunica," proves that it prevailed among 

 the ancient Hibernians. This is most likely that of a young man 

 of about 30. The flatness extends over a little more of the sagittal 

 region of the parietals than over the occipital. It is asymmetrical, 

 the depression being greater on the right than the left side, which 

 causes a slight projection on this side, near the middle of the parietal. 

 It is above three inches in length, but not quite so broad, and its centre 

 is just above the juncture of the sagittal and lambdoidal sutures. 

 In this case, the deformed surface is perfectly flat. We have 



