1894.] on Early British Baces. 253 



found ; of these, perhaps, the best known is the famous Neanderthal 

 one, from a cave near Dusseldorf. Upon this skeleton alone it would 

 not have been prudent to have based the characters of Palaeolithic 

 Cave men, because the circumstances under which it was found have 

 given rise to some doubt as to its being of this age, and it is 

 considered by some to belong to the next period which we have 

 to deal with. When it is taken in conjunction with others pre- 

 senting similar characters, and regarding which there can be no 

 doubt as to the age to which they belong, the evidence it affords is 

 considerably strengthened. The find of two skeletons at Spey in 

 Belgium in 1886 has been most important, both in advancing our 

 knowledge and confirming the characters ascribed to this race from 

 various less complete specimens. The cranium of the Neanderthal 

 skeleton, though very imperfect, is long and proportionately narrow 

 in form, having a cephalic index of 72, the glabella, brow ridges, 

 and external orbital processes are enormously developed, the fore- 

 head is remarkably flattened, the occiput is prominent, and the 

 elevation of the whole vault is extremely low. The skulls of 

 both the Spey skeletons are also long and narrow, one having a 

 cephalic index of 70, and the other of 74*6, the superciliary 

 ridges, and also the glabella, are very prominent, the frontal sinuses 

 are large, the external orbital processes are thick and projecting, the 

 ridges on the frontal, parietal and temporal bones for muscular 

 attachments are strongly developed, the occiput is prominent with a 

 well marked " torus " at the junction of the curved muscular ridges, 

 which are also large, the cranial vault is low and flattened from above 

 downwards, and presents an antero-posterior curve very similar to the 

 outline of the side of an ellipse ; the malar bones have thick and 

 broad orbital processes, the orbital cavities are deep, and the orbital 

 breadth is but slightly inferior to the width, the zygomatic arches 

 are large. The size of the lower molar teeth increases from before 

 backwards, the first molar being the smallest, and the last molar the 

 largest. The lower jaw shows no prominence of the chin, indeed, it 

 recedes somewhat from the alveolar border downwards, and has 

 a symphesial angle of 111°. It is thus a counterpart of the Naulette 

 mandible, which presents similar characters, both as regards the 

 molars and the symphesial angle. The stature of the Neanderthal 

 skeleton, estimated from the length of the femur, is 1*640 metres 

 (5 ft. 3 in.), and from the humerus 2 centimetres less ; that of the 

 Spey skeleton (there being only one of these in which the long bones 

 could be measured), estimated from the femur and tibia, is 1 • 504 

 metres (4 ft. 11J in.), and from the femur alone, 1*540 metres 

 (5 ft. Of in.). The stature of the Naulette skeleton, that of a woman, 

 estimated from the ulna, is 1*433 metres (4 ft. 4^ in.), and shows 

 that she also was very short. 



The long bones of the upper and lower limbs of the Neanderthal 

 skeleton are characterised by their unusual thickness and the great 

 development of the elevations and depressions for the attachment 



