DAVIS ON THE CRANIA OF THE ANCIENT BRITONS. 295 



There has been a good deal of diversity in the effects of this com- 

 pression against the cradle-board, in different instances. A diversity 

 in great measure to be attributed to the varying obliquity of the 

 sheS' for the pillow, already alluded to, and also to the degree of 

 compression. In the case of the Codford skull, " Crania Britan- 

 nica," (Plate 14, or Pig. 1 here) and in the cast of the Meudon 

 skull (Fig. 2), a greater share of the parietal bones has been flat- 

 tened. And the deformation has proceeded to such an extent as to 

 render these examples almost parallel to some of those of America. 

 In the "Crania Americana," Plates 8 and 9, are two ancient Peru- 

 vian calvaria, from the Temple of the Sun, in which the occipital 

 region has been rendered almost perpendicular from this compres- 

 sion. And in the famous mound calvarium from the ancient Mound 

 in the Scioto Valley, (Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, 

 Vol. i. ; Squier and Davis's Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi 

 Valley, p. 288, PL XL VII.) the same result is presented. In some 

 cases the flattening was carried to still more exaggerated lengths. 

 Some instances in my collection are very extreme, as that of au 

 ancient Pakomame from Gruatemala, No. 378 ; that of an ancient 

 MuizcA, from Facatativo, in the plain of Bogata, No. 30G ; and 

 that of an ancient Peruvian, No. 918. But it is probable that in 

 these tribes a counter-pressure was exercised upon the frontal bone. 

 This was not the practice among the ancient Britons. 



The parieto-occipital flatness in ancient British skulls is mostly 

 very moderate in extent, and shows itself as an oblique plane, about 

 the position in which the posterior fontanel was situated. Dr. L. A. 

 Gosse, in his " Essai sur les Deformations artificielles du Crane," 

 has illustrated at some length the exaggerated form of compression 

 of the occiput, under the title of " Tete deprimee par derriere," but 

 has not paid much attention to the slighter flatness now described. 

 Yet lie has this incidental remark : — " Passant dans I'ancien con- 

 " tinent, ne tardons-nous pas a reconnaitre que ce berceau plat et 

 '' solide y a produit des effets analogues. Les anciens habitants de 

 " la Scandinavie et de la Caledonie devaient s'en servir, si Ton en 

 " juge par la forme de leurs cranes." p. 74. 



Notwithstanding this parieto-occipital flatness of ancient British 

 skulls, and others of so-called Celtic races, which is the result of the 

 intervention of art, although without distinct design, and which may 

 now be considex'ed to have been demonstrated, one usual normal 

 form of these crania is brachycephalic, and that decidedly so. To 

 this form I have applied the epithet typical. And it is too obvious 

 to need remark, that the mode of nursing would heighten this 

 brachycephalism. That the impression of the occipital region did 

 so heighten it is indisputable ; but, that it had the slightest influence 

 in producing it, is quite contrary to the laws of physiology, and I 

 believe wholly untenable. 



Postscript. — Although not immediately connected with the sub- 



