Notes oil some Bushman Crania and Bones. 253 



It thus seems possible to conceive the following reconstruction of 

 the early history of Southern Africa : — 



That the first inhabitants of Southern Africa were of the 

 Bushman type, and spread over the whole of this part of the 

 continent. 



That in the pastoral country around the Great Lakes and the Upper 

 Nile Valley the tall Negro tribes developed, or at least that they 

 occupied this country. That subsequently pressure was brought to 

 bear on these peoples from the east, driving a large section of them 

 south. These in turn drove the Bushman type before them as far 

 as the extreme southern coast. Others took refuge in the forest 

 zone, and in time mingled with the peoples around. Some of the 

 latter Negroes passed north of the forest zone to the Atlantic coast. 

 These later, pressed on by the races from across the Sahara, were in 

 part driven back out of the forest- — a process still continuing — 

 or down to the sea ; when in the unsuitable environment their 

 physique deteriorated. Some of these Negroes may have been 

 driven down the Nile Valley, taking possibly with them, or driving 

 in front of them, any survivors of the northern Bush races, who thus 

 came into contact w^ith Egypt. On the other hand, there is no 

 evidence to show that the Bush peoples may not have been previously 

 far to the north. 



There are said to be dwarf races in Central Morocco, and in the 

 Neohthic station at Brassempouey, in France, a statuette has been 

 found which represents the race living there at that time as short 

 and steatopygous. 



[Since the above was written I have received two additional 

 Strandlooper skulls, Nos. 39a and 39b, both of which are broad 

 headed. Their measurements have been included in the table but 

 not in the averages and tables of variation. They support the view 

 that the primitive Bushman stock was broader headed.] 



SECTION II. 



THE BONES OF THE SKELETON. 



Portions of twelve skeletons were available, but unfortunately 

 none were quite complete, so that for each series only a limited 

 number of comparisons could be made. 



