Latcham. ANCIENT CHILIAN SKULLS LZ 
the skulls these latter only protrude from the alveolar processes 
about 4 or 5mm, and are quite separated one from the other, 
the space between each being from 2 to 3 mm. Teeth and mo- 
lars are worn alike to a sharp exterior edge and present a con- 
cave surface. 
A point of especial importance, is the persistent infra-orbital 
suture, which continues even in old age, as evideneed by skull £. 
This together with the double supra orbital notch is a distinctive 
feature in all the skulls of the series, and is common among the 
Fueguians and Esquinaux. 
The capacity of the skulls is very low, giving an average of 
only 1305 c/c. One of them a female only reached 1080 c/c. 
althoug it does not show any signos of being abnormal. 
The bones of the body seem to indicate that this race was of 
low statute, and slightly buit. The average length of radii of 
the four male skeletons is only 23.3 cm; and calculating this 
bone by Humphreys’ table at 14.15/ of the total length of the 
skeleton would give an average height of 165.7 cm or 5.6 4din 
more or less. The female skeleton on the other hand only mea- 
sured a little over 1 m 50 em. or 4ft 1] din. 
The state of civilization to which this race had attained seems 
to have been very low. They were evidently in the transition 
stone age, as as the instruments found are some rudely chipped 
and some fairly polished, 
No sign of metal was found, but fragments of rude pottery 
without, anyattempt at decoration, were numerous. 
It is probable that their principal food was shelltish; but they 
also ground roots or berries, as is shown from the worn state of 
the rude stone mortar. They also had some means of catching 
or killing wild-fwol as the bones of such are abundant. 
Their mode of burial would seem to indicate that the sun had 
an important place in their religious ideas, and a belief in a fu- 
ture state is suggested by their burying arms and houschold 
utensils with their dead. It is also probable that they indulged 
in personal decoration as the pierced stone (fig. 4) and a number 
of perforated shells of small size have evidently been used as 
ornaments. 
Who were these people? Whence did they come? Whither 
have they gone? These are questions that with the scanty data 
set forth I cannot venture to anwer; but I would call the atten- 
tion of anthropologists towards several points which while com- 
mon among the Fuegians & Esqnimaux, are persistent in the 
remains here presented. 
Rev. Cu. Hist. Nat. (15 
