408 [September, 



circonference que ce serre-tete lui-meme. Cette pratique est tres commune eu 

 Normandie. Dans d'autres provinces on ne commence pas par entourer la tete 

 d'un bandeau ; on la couvre d'un bonnet rond, et ce bonnet se trouve ensuite 

 assujetti par un nombre variable de tours de bande methodiquenient jetes depuis 

 les bosses frontales jusqu'aux bosses parietales. C'est ainsi qu'on agit a Toulouse 

 et dans une grande etendue des pays voisins Une constriction circu- 

 late, suffisante pour fixer la coiffure ne peut manquer de faire ceder la tete si 

 tendre a cet age. Ce qu'elle perde alors en largeur, elle le gagne en exces de 

 longueur; et c'est ainsi que se trouvent produits ces cranes allonges et eylin- 

 droi'des, (voy. pi. 22 et 23, fig. 1), quelquefois meme etrangles dans le milieu 

 de leur longueur, qu'on rencontre en proportions variables dans presque toutes 

 les maisons d'alienes de France, mais surtout dans celles des departements ou 

 la methode adoptee pour la coiffure des enfants implique une constriction circu- 

 late. On trouve des personnes du Limousin, de Bretagne, du Nord et du Nord- 

 Est de la France avec une deformation evidente du crane dont la cause ne peut 

 etre douteuse. ... A Paris, ou se trouvent rassembles des habitants de toutes 

 les parties de la France, toutes les habitudes de nos provinces se trouvent 

 importees, et les deformations du crane produites par les coiffures vicieuses ne 

 sont nullement rares.'' 



The 23d engraving in Dr. Foville's work shows three side-faces of women whose 

 skulls are formed very like the Hunish. Dr. Foville has, in quality of chief- 

 physician at the great asylums for insane in the Department Seine-inferieure and 

 Oharenton, had occasion to examine the skulls of a great number of country 

 people. Here he has found several individuals with thus artificially formed 

 heads. Though he expresses the opinion that the deformity does not disturb the 

 functions of the brain, he believes that it does not seldom promote disorders 

 which finally cause mental derangement. This does not agree with Morton's 

 opinion about this circumstance among the American Indians. It is more 

 probable that the worthy author here has taken post hoc for propter hoc. He 

 mentions two different manners of constricting the head. It seems not probable 

 that this custom is intended for changing the form of the head ; it rather seems 

 as if it remained unconsciously from the time of Paganism, and will as many 

 other prejudices, first cease by some particular accident. The inhabitants of 

 Normandy were Norwegians ; the race which before inhabited the country is 

 probably not yet extinct. On the contrary we believe that here, as in many other 

 countries, the ancient population lives beside the more aristocratic conquering 

 nation. This latter, the Rep. has himself had occasion to observe, keeps still the 

 true Norman type. Doctor Foville himself, of Normannic family, is a beautiful 

 proof of this. The Rep. does not believe that the pressing of the head does 

 derive from the Norwegians. The skulls of fig. 1, 2, tab. 23 of his work, do 

 not show the least resemblance with the Norwegian dolichocephalic ones ; but 

 rather seem to be brachycephalic. The skull, tab. 22, is, according to the opinion 

 of the Rep., of genuine gaulic type, low, long, dolichocephalic, not artificially 

 formed. It was taken in a churchyard at Paris, and we know nothing about the 

 person it has belonged to. It is worthy of attention that this custom is common 

 in Bretagne, the old county Toulouse, and in several places where the Celtic 

 race is the predominant one, these countries have before been inhabited by Celts 

 and first by Iberians. In Beam, where the Iberian race is the most numerous, the 

 constriction of the head is, according to Dr. Foville 1 s account, not used. After all 

 thesp facts have been mentioned, the question naturally arises : Has this 

 custom arisen by itself separately in the Old and New World, or does it not bear 

 witness of a communication between the New and Old World ? The Rep. hopes 

 on some other occasion to return to the question. 



ELECTIONS. 



fl r. George H. Humphreys and Mr. Hilborn West, of Philadelphia, 

 and Mr. C. J. Hering, of Surinam, were elected Members, and 



1 r. Guido Sandberger and Dr. Fredolin Sandberger, of Wiesbaden, 

 were elected Correspondents. 



