CIIAEACTEIUSTICS PERTAINING TO ANCIENT MAN. Zo'J 



string which passes through u perforatiou in the top of the skull.'' [This 

 custom of the Dyaks is, I believe, no longer adhered to, having been 

 abandoned sliortlj' after their becoming semi-civilized.] 



The kite Professor Wymau, in a letter written me the day before his 

 death, emphatically states that the fact of this perforatiou was new to 

 him, adding: "There is nothing of the kind in any of our skulls in the 

 museum, nor have I seen it mentioned as existing elsewhere." 



A friend has learned for me that au educated Indian makes the state- 

 ment, in reply to our inquiry, that he remembers hearing his father say 

 that formerly the heads of distinguished men and chiefs were honored 

 by this mark after death. I mention this for what it may be worth. 



The skull from the Sable Kiver mouiul (Fig. 3) is of a dark color, and 

 its latitudinal or cephalic index, 0,770, would place it within the ortho- 

 cephalic or medium range, the altitudinal index being inferior, or exactly 

 0.745. The foramen magnum approaches a central position, its index 

 being 0.445. Fig. 4 shows the perforation of the skull, full size. 



The two perfect specimens from the Eouge Eiver are decidedly brachy- 

 cephalic crania, the cephalic indices being respectively 0,822 and 0.853, 

 the altitudinal indices being inferior, or respectively 0.733 and 0.828, while 

 the indices of the foramen magnum are, in the one case, 0.465, and, in the 

 other, 0.397. 



In Fig, 5 is given the first mentioned of these crania ; Fig. 6 ex- 



Fir,. 5. 



Artificially-perforated skull from Great Moniid, Rouge River, ?.Iicliigan, (No. 1,) one- 



fourtli si/0. 



hibiting its perforation of the actual size, from which it will be seen that 

 the incision has been made at the exact junction of the sutures, which, 

 .singularly enough in this case, occupies a central vertical position, as do 

 the perforations in every instance vvhich has come to my knowledge. 



That the position of the junction did not influence, much less control, 

 the location of the perforation, is evident, however; for in the other llouge 

 Eiver skull, (Fig. 7,) the incision is, as usual, exactly centered, though 

 the junction of the sutures occurs but 0.2 of an inch in advance of the 



