SKELETAL REMAINS 97 



i, burying its dead in low circular mounds, the upper layers of 

 which in numerous cases were hardened by fire. offer^ one of tin- mo-t 

 interesting problem-^ to American anthropologists, largely because 

 vrrything points to the fart that these low cranial shapes are com- 

 paratively recent phenomena and not occurrences of geological antiq- 

 uity. Additional >y-tematic exploration on a large scale of the 

 mounds in the Central states is very much to be desired in this 

 connection. 



(/) The size of the Nebraska skulls and the thickness of bone (see 

 detailed examination) are in no way exceptional when compared 

 with similar dimensions in skulls of Indians. The thickness of the 

 parietal IXHIC exceeded in no case at its maximum 7 mm. and was 

 mostly a little l>elow this. Professor Harbour in his paper in the 

 Record* of the Pott mentions that the wall of one of the broken 

 skulls measured 1) mm. in thickness, but this measurement must have 

 been taken on a bone other than the parietal. None of the fragments 

 of the latter l>one that passed under the writer's observation approxi- 

 mated such a dimension: but even if a very thick skull had coexisted 

 with the others, the fact would justify no conclusion concerning the 

 antiquity of the specimen. Thick Indian crania of a very moderate 

 antiquity are very common in Florida and certain parts of Mexico, 

 and occur also in other parts of the country. 



(g) The long bones recovered from the mound show absolutely 

 no type differences or racial distinction at the different levels, and 

 in many of their characteristics approximate so closely to the cor- 

 responding bones in the Indian that their identification as Indian 

 is permissible. Of particular value for this identification are the 

 thickness and shape at the middle of the burner!,' and here is found 

 the slight relative thickness of the bone as well as the predomi- 

 nance of the plano-convex shape, both characteristic of the Indian. 

 The platymery of the femora points in the same direction. The 

 tibia? are stronger and less platycnemic than on an average in the 

 Indian, but were by no means unequaled among the Plains Indians 

 who lived largely by the chase. The stature of the group of jxople 

 represented in the Gilder mound, estimated from the long bones, 

 was nearly 6 feet in the males, which is not uncommon also among 

 the Sioux and other of the Plains hunters. Examination of the parts 

 of the skeleton besides the skull furnishes substantial evidence that 

 the bones have in general much more affinity with those of the Indian 

 than with those of any other people. Speculation as to what par- 

 ticular tribe of Indians this group belonged would probably be 

 fruitless, and is really not of great importance. The Omaha, it is 



A monograph showing In detail the pronounced differences In these bone* between the 

 white, negro, and Indian races Is under preparation by the writer. 



3458 No. 3307 7 



