44 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 33 
establish the presence in parts of northwestern Germany and Holland 
in or up to recent times of a cranial type characterized by precisely 
the feature which renders so extraordinary the skulls from Burlington 
county and Riverview cemetery, namely, very low height. The 
cephalic index and the capacity of the European chamecephals 
show a wide range, which easily includes the same characteristics of 
the Trenton specimens. The facial measurements are lacking in the 
German reports, but Gildemeister speaks of a narrow face, a feature 
marked also in the two skulls 
from New Jersey; and one of the 
latter, it will be remembered, 
shows a trace of basal depression, 
such as noticed in a more pro- 
nounced degree in some of Vir- 
chow’s low:crania. The illustra- 
tions of the European chame- 
cephals (see figures 5 and 6) 
show remarkable general resem- 
blances to the two Trenton 
skulls—there are the same 
rounded outline, without sagit- 
tal elevation, of the anterior and 
the posterior plane, similar shape 
of the superior plane, and simi- 
lar aspect of the face. There 
can be no doubt of the relation- 
ship of the two forms, and it now 
remains to account for the occur- 
rence of identical forms in re- 
gions so remote from each other. 
That such marked similarity 
of any two normal, important, 
extreme, and repeated forms 
in cranial morphology could be 
of accidental origin has never 
been demonstrated, and, in fact, 
is not conceivable. 
Similarity of skull form due to pathological conditions is rather 
common; furthermore, the same pathological agency, such as prema- 
ture closure of a suture, affects all skulls in similar manner, giving 
rise to typical forms, the best known of which are plagiocephaly and 
scaphocephaly. A depression of the base, such as was noticed by 
Virchow in several of his low crania and is present to a slight degree 
in the Riverview Cemetery skull, is due to abnormal softness of the 
bones at some period during development, and causes a diminution 
Fic. 5.—Front view of two of the Bremen chamz- 
cephals, 
