236 



NATURAL HISTORY 



probably been indicated by the projection of some of the 

 more elevated parts of the left fore-arm. 



" The operation of laying the bones open to view, and 

 of reducing the superfluous length of the block at its ex- 

 tremities, being performed with all the care which its 

 excessive hardness and the relative softness of the bones 

 required, the skeleton exhibited itself in the manner re- 

 presented in the annexed drawing (Pi. I.), with which 

 my friend Mr. Alexander has been so good as to illustrate 

 this description. 



"The skull is wanting; a circumstance which is the 

 more to be regretted, as this characteristic part might 

 possibly have thrown some light on the subject under 

 consideration, or would, at least, have settled the ques- 

 tion, whether the skeleton is that of a Carib, who used to 

 give the frontal bone of the head a particular shape by 

 compression, which had the effect of depressing the up- 

 per and protruding the lower edge of the orbits, so as to 

 make the direction of their opening nearly upwards, or 

 horizontal, instead of vertical.* 



" The vertebras of the neck were lost with the head. 

 The bones of the thorax bear all the marks of considera- 

 ble concussion, and are completely dislocated. The 

 seven true ribs of the left side, though their heads are not 

 in connexion with the vertebrae, are complete ; but only 

 three of the false ribs are observable. On the right side 

 only fragments of these bones are seen ; but the upper 

 part of the seven true ribs of this side are found on the 

 left, and might at first sight be taken for the termination 

 of the left ribs ; as may be seen in the drawing. The 



* See the excellent figures in Bluraenbach's Decades. 



