¥ 
_ What was the use of the disks in question? — Those who have 
examined the series in my possession have offered various expla- 
nations ; but the only one that seems in any degree plausible, is 
that of my friend Dr. Blanding, who supposes them to have been 
used in a game analogous to that of the quoits of the Europeans. 
It is a curious fact that discoidal stones much resembling these 
have been found in Scandinavia ;* whence I was at first led to 
suppose it possible, especially in cotisidetation of their apparently 
circumscribed occurtence in this country, that they might have 
been introduced here by the Northmen; a conjecture that seems 
to lose all pecsepercct since these relies have been eee as far 
west as the or zs 
"Note. ka Sinds the rains remarks were written, I have re- 
ceived from my friend, Mr. William A. Foster, of Lima, ten 
skulls and two entire fusnietinda bodies from the Peruvian ceme- 
tery at Arica. “'Thiscemetery,” observes Mr. Foster, “lies on the 
face of a sandhill sloping towards the sea. The external surface 
occupied by these tombs, as far as we explored, I should say was 
five or six acres. In many of the tombs three or four bodies 
were found clustered together, always 7 the sitting posture, and 
wrapped in three or four thicknesses of clots, with a mat thrown 
over all.” 
These crania possess an unusual interest, inasmuch as, with 
two exceptions, they present the horizontally elongated form, in 
every degree from its incipient stage to its perfect development. 
By what contrivance has the rounded head of the Indian been 
moulded into this fantastic shape? I have elsewheret offered 
some explanations of this subject ; but the present series of skulls 
throws yet more light on it, and enables me to indicate the pre- 
cise manner in which this singular object has been attained. 
~ It is evident that the forehead was pressed downwards and 
_backwards by two compresses, (probably a folded cloth,) one 
on each side of the frontal suture, which was left free; a fact 
that explains the cause of the ages; * — in every Ebrstirtwi 
* See Journal of the Antiquarian om of Denmark published in ee 
in the Danish language, vol. i, tab. 2, figs. 52, 53. 
t Jour. Acad. Nat. Sciences of Philad., vol. viii. 
