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239 



The Pre-historic Races of Men, in Somersetshire and the adjoining 

 Counties. By Henry Bird, M.D.) 



(Read 7th January, 18S0. J 



Conquerors, emigrants, and explorers, in ancient and modern 

 times, have found every continent and island (producing food for 

 man and beast) to be inhabited by aborigines, who lived by 

 hunting and fisliing, and possessed few domestic animals. They 

 did not cultivate the soil, and the only traces they have left are 

 the rude burial places, and the flint, stone, and bone implements. 

 Such indications may be found in this and the adjoining counties ; 

 but the earliest signs of the presence of man are the earth-tumuli, 

 or " tump " burial places. These contain the remains of a small 

 race of men, with narrow long heads ; they are placed upon their 

 sides, in a doubled-up position ; and their only implements are 

 rude flint flakes, and occasionally round balls of sun-dried clay. 

 The Eskimo of the present day bear a close resemblance to ' this 

 race, both in stature and in the formation of the skull. 



Such burial places are said to have belonged to the lower 

 classes, and not to have been for kings. But the earlier occupants 

 of such graves can be readily distinguished by their narrow long 

 heads, and the shape of their thigh-bones, from the later races. 

 Such a tumulus was discovered, some years ago, in the parish of 

 Cubberly, near Cheltenham. (Greenwell and Rolleston, pp. 112, 

 113, 675.) 



Stone-tumuli, with a central cist, its sides formed of flat unhewn 

 stones placed edgeways, or of rough stone walling, and covered 

 with flat stones, and of a size sufficiently large to contain many 

 skeletons of a tall athletic race, with narrow long heads, and thick 

 skull bones, are the next structures. They may be considered to 

 belong to the same early period, as they only difier from the earth- 



