SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN*. 9 



We now proceed to describe in detail the contents of the cists as 

 preserved in the museum. 



1. PAKKHMJ, SHORT CIST (a). 



1 " Contents of short cist found at Parkhill railway cutting in 1SH7." 



Besides the skeleton of an adult male in a fairly good state of 

 preservation, this cist contained a complete urn of the " drinking- 

 vessel " type. Covering the bones was a thin layer of a matted 

 substance which, on examination, proved to be largely made up of 

 hair. The skeleton had probably been covered by an ox-hide. 



SKULL. The skull, excepting the /ygomatic arches, is practically 

 complete, and is that of an individual beyond middle life, the 

 sutures being partly obliterated and the upper jaw almost eden- 

 tulous. Though the muscular markings are not strong, and the 

 mastoid processes small, the characters as a whole indicate that the 

 skull is that of a male. The cranium is fairly large, with a capacity 

 of 1,450 c.c. of mustard seed, which has been used for taking the 

 capacity on account of the fragile state of the bones. 



Norma Verticalix (Plate II., Fig. 1). The cranium is broadly 

 ovoid, the transverse diameter being so great as to give it a rounded 

 and markedly brachycephalic appearance. The cranial index is 85. 

 There is flattening behind the bregma with a gentle slope out to the 

 parietal eminences. The glabella and supraorbital ridges enter into 

 this view, while the zygomatic arches are concealed. 



Norma Lat<>rlix (Plate II., Fig. 2). The nasion is somewhat 

 depressed and the glabella and supraorbital ridges fairly prominent. 

 The vault is high, rising up in the frontal region with a uniform steep 

 curve to the bregma ; behind this there is some flattening and then 

 the postero-parietal passes down with a similar sharp curve to the 

 lambda. At the lambda there is a distinct step produced by the 

 occipital jutting backwards. However, as a whole the occipital pole 

 does not project. 



Nornin Orcipitili* (Plate II., Fig. 3). The outline of this view 



1 Museum label, 



2 



