1855.] 407 



mentioned skulls from Austria that is, from Avarians, who probably accom- 

 panied Attila's army. In connexion with this it deserves also to be mentioned, 

 that Professor Duvernoy at Paris has sent to the Rep. a drawing and description 

 of a high brachycephalic skull of very remote age, which was found in 1849, not 

 far from the surface of the earth during the digging of a road in the valley of the 

 Doubs, not far from Mandeuse. Professor Duvernoy is himself of the opinion 

 that it must have belonged to one of Attila's warriors, because in this neighbor- 

 hood the ruins of an old Roman town destroyed by Attilais situated. It has ex- 

 actly the form of a Finlandian skull not pressed. What a consternation did the 

 deformed skulls of Huanches Indians, which Pentland brought from Titicaca in 

 Peru, not excite? What a surprise to see the various skulls which were so 

 changed in form, and were first made known by Morton's work, Crania Ameri- 

 cana ! This absurd and barbarous custom was considered to belong only to the 

 savage heathens of America. Through the skull found at Grafenegg, attention 

 has been turned to the question, how far this same barbarous custom has reigned 

 also in the ancient world ; more and more evidences affirming this opinion have 

 been found. As is above seen, we have had the proofs of this fact in the ancient 

 authors from the old and middle ages, without taking notice of them. To the 

 important dates quoted by Dr. Fitzinger and M. Troy on, the Rep. takes the op- 

 portunity to add some more. In the excellent historical work byAmedee Thierry, 

 Altilij of which the Rep. only knows Dr. Edward Burckhardt's translation,' (Attila 

 Schilderungen aus der Geschichte des fiinften Jahrhunderts, Leipzig, 1852,) is 

 mentioned, where the author has shown, that the proper Huns were Finlanders 

 from the Ural and the valley of the Wolga, but that with them were under the 

 same government, Turks, and probably Mongols, beside later Slaves, etc., and that 

 Attila himself, and part of his people have been delineated as belonging to the 

 Kalmuck type. In a note, page 15, about the custom of changing the form of 

 the head, he has the following : " The image of Attila is more like that of a 

 Mongol than of a Finlander from the Ural. Besides we know that the Huns 

 useJ artificial means for giving Mongolian physiognomy to their children ; they 

 made, namely, the nose flat, with firmly strained linen ribbons, and pressed the 

 head to make the cheek bones projecting. What could be the reasonable cause 

 of this barbarous custom, if not the effort to approach a form, which, among the 

 Huns, was held in greater regard, in a word, the aristocratic race ? The purpose 

 quoted by the Roman authors, to get the helmet better fixed on the head, is 

 scarcely credible. It seems more probable, that when the Mongols were masters 

 of the Huns, the Mongolian physiognomy was the prize attached to aristocratic 

 distinctions ; they consequently tried to approach this form, and considered it an 

 honor thus to deform themselves, in order to resemble the reigning nation. This 

 is most likely the cause of those unnatural deformations which historical writers 

 so particularly describe." This opinion agrees fully with that which the Rep. 

 has supposed in his treatise " Phrenology judged from an anatomical point of view," 

 and also with Prof. Eschricht " Angaaende Betydningen of Hjerneskallens og hele 

 Hovedeis Formforskjellighed (Skand. Naturf. SaJlsk. Forhandl.") respecting the same 

 custom among the American savages. Thus we see more and more traces show- 

 ing that this absurd custom formerly has been considerably common in the 

 ancient world, and, after the authority of Thierry, we may suppose, that it 

 principally and perhaps originally belonged to the Mongols, among whom the- 

 Rep. believes it hasnow^ceased. Many who are interested in the study of skulls 

 will s irely be greatly astonished to hear, that this barbarous custom still exists 

 in one of the most civilized countries of Europe, namely, in France. About this 

 we have very interesting information in Dr. Foville's "Traite complet de l'anato- 

 raie, de la physiologie et de la palhologie du systeme nerveux cerebrospinal, le 

 partie, Ana":omie, Paris, 1844, page 632, art. " Deformation artificielle du crane" 

 etc. ; et Atlas, PI. 23, figs. 1, 2." 



Dr. Foville says namely: "Dans plusieurs parties da la France, on coiffe Ies 

 nouveaunes de bonnets fixes sur la circonference du crane lui-meme. Tantot 

 on commence par l'entourer d'un etroit et long triangle de toile, qui decrit 

 plusieurs tours avant d'etre arrete, et par dessus ce serre-tete ou bandeau on 

 place un bonnet rond a coulisses, dont les cordons sont serres suivant la _me 



