NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 211 



lusehian and Algonquin tribes. Unfortunately for the purpose of such com- 

 parison no specimens of the skulls of these tribes are in the possession of the 

 Academy. In other words the collection is deficient in skulls of the Kenai of 

 Cook's Inlet, the Atnahs of Copper River, the Ugalents or Ugalyakhmutzi, of 

 King William's Sound, &c, among the Koluschians ; and in the Knistinaux or 

 Crees, and the various other tribes of Algonquins who formerly occupied the 

 country between Labrador and the New England States. 



The Indians of the north-west coast are represented in the collection by 22 

 specimens, obtained from various localities in British Columbia, Washington 

 Territory, and the State of Oregon. Three of the skulls of this series, a Tsitn- 

 se-ann or Chimseyan and two Nas-kuhs or Naaskoks (Nos. 987, 213 and 214 

 of tbe Catalogue), belong to the Naas family of Hale, and are from the Naas 

 River and tbe region of country about Fort Simpson, in lat. 54 40' N. Con- 

 sequently of all the Pacific coast crania in the collection they are the most 

 northern. The Chimseyan skull is a long, low head with a moderately full 

 and rounded occiput. The coronal region is flat and triangular, narrow at the 

 forehead between the external angular processes, from which it widens out to 

 a great interparietal diameter, the parietal protuberances being very promi- 

 nent. Both the Naas crania are long, oval heads with full and prominent oc- 

 ciputs. In No. 213 the occipital protuberance is prolonged into a sharp mam- 

 millated process. The next six in geographical order, (Nos. 208, 944, 946, 

 1013, 1014 and 1015), are from Puget's Sound. No. 208 is the skull of a Skwale 

 or Nisqually "Medicine Man." It is artificially flattened. The other five 

 are flattened heads, obtained by my friend Dr. Thos. J. Turner, of the U. S. 

 Navy. They probably belong, with one exception, to the Suquimmish tribe. 

 These six crania together with a Kowalitsk skull, (No. 573) from Washington 

 Territory, and a Tilamook, Killemook or Killamuck cranium (No. 576) from 

 the State of Oregon, belong to the Tsihaili-Selish Family of Hales, the Tsihaili 

 of Latham. The next two crania of this group are Klikatats (Nos. 207* and 

 461) from Washington Territory. They belong to the Sahaptin Family of 

 Hale and Gallatin. Of the Calapooya or Kalapuya tribe of the Willamette 

 Valley, Oregon, there is one cranial specimen, No. 574. There are nine Chi- 

 nook crania in the collection. Of these Nos. 462, 641, 721, 1349 and 1350 are 

 Chinooks proper. Nos. 203 and 575 are Clatsops or Klaatsops, a band of the 

 lower division of Chinooks, occupying the sandy plain at Point Adams, to the 

 south of the mouth of Columbia River. Nos. 457 and 578 should, in all pro- 

 bability, be rejected from this series. As they are not flattened nor distorted 

 in any manner, but retain the natural form, they are very likely slaves, and 

 as such belong to some other tribes. All the free Chinooks flatten their heads, 

 and so highly do they value this deformity as a mark of distinction that they 

 do not allow their slaves to practise it. 



Upon this point most of the travellers who have visited the tribes of Colum- 

 bia River agree. In other respects, however, their testimony is very discrep- 

 ant. Mr. Townsend, in a letter to Dr. Morton, affirms that he " has occasionally 

 seen both Chinooks and Chickitats with round or ordinary shaped heads, sick- 

 ness having prevented the usual distortion while young."f This statement 

 has evidently led Dr. Morton to regard No. 578 as a true Chinook skull which 

 has not been subjected to the flattening process. " This head," says Dr. M., 

 " differs in nothing from that of the Indians in general, from one end of the con- 

 tinent to the other ; but it is gratifying to be able to present a perfectly natu- 

 ral skull of people among whom a round or naturally formed head is consid- 

 ered a degradation."! Dr. Pickering assures us that as the children, whose 

 heads have been compressed, "grow up, the cranium tends to resume its 



* Nos. 203. 207, 208. 213 and 214 were obtained by Mr. Geo. Gibbs, who informs me that No. 207 

 is a hybrid being half Klikatat, half Nisqually. 

 t Crania Americana, p. i!07. 

 j Ibid, p. 208. 



1866.] 



