246 BULLETIN 183, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



nearly complete vaults, but no faces or other parts, and three (Nos. 

 3, 4, and 5) represented only by frontal bones. The more complete 

 specimens showed medium occipital compression, and one of these 

 (No. 1) was so high headed as to appear abnormal (possibly pre- 

 mature occlusion of the coronal suture). However, the striking- thing 

 about at least three of the specimens was the narrowness of the frontal 

 bones and the prominence of the anterior sagittal crest. Also, all 

 the specimens showed marks of rodent teeth, thus bearing witness of 

 their residence in a vault. 



After seeing these cranial fragments, Wedel called my attention 

 to the fact that Fowke had investigated mounds near Kansas City in 

 1907 (Fowke, 1910). In one of these mounds (Brenner No. 2), situ- 

 ated on the bluff above the Renner village site, Fowke had found a 

 portion of a skull that previous excavators had discarded and hence 

 was without direct cultural association.^ In an appendix to the 

 Fowke report is a description by Hrdlicka of the skull fragment 

 (No. 131) from this mound, as follows : 



An adult male skull, very dolichocephalic, partially deformed. There is a 

 slight flatteniDg on the frontal bone above the middle, on each side of the median 

 line, seemingly produced by the pressure of two small pads, and there is also a 

 quite marked occipital compression. The forehead is low, though showing dis- 

 tinct convexity. The supra-orbital ridges are prominent and the supra-orbital 

 border distal from them is protruding. 



Along the border, just mentioned, of the orbits are marks made by rodent's 

 teeth and also marks resembling knife cuts ; and in the lower part of the right 

 parietal, about the middle, there is a semi-circular area bearing lines resembling 

 cuts and also traces of rodent's teeth; this is 8 cm. in diameter [p. 100]. 



The consistent finding of occipital compression, together with an 

 unusually narrow frontal bone, in association with elements of the 

 Hopewellian culture complex furnished the stimulus to locate more 

 skeletal remains from these mounds. Accordingly, at Dr. Weclel's 

 request, J. M. Shippee, of North Kansas City, reinvestigated the 

 mound where Hansen found the pottery (Babcock mound B), securing 

 besides valuable archeological information, one nearly whole skull and 

 numerous fragments of skulls and long bones. This material fitted 

 in with the preceding finds. 



Since Shippee reported the presence of numerous mounds in the 

 vicinity where Hansen had worked, Wedel spent part of the summer 

 of 1938 examining nine of these (Wedel, 1939). In three (Pearl 

 mound C, Nolan mound A, Young mound 1) he found skeletal re- 

 mains worth saving (U. S. N. M. Nos. 379099-118), but with no more 

 direct cultural association than heretofore. The other vaults yielded 

 only broken or calcined fragments of bone. In most cases the skele- 

 tons appeared to have been disarticulated at the time of burial and in 



^ The Klamm mound, also near Kansas City, yielded some bones, but tbey are too frag- 

 mentary to be significant. 



