120 REPORT— 1877. 



On Indian Archaic Remains and their resemblance to European Types. 

 By H. Eiyett-Carnac 



On the Rationale of artificial Deformations of the Head. 

 By Prof. Eolleston, M.D., F.R.S. 



On the Rationale of Brachycephaly and Dolichocephaly . 

 By Prof. Eolleston, M.D., F.R.S. 



On the Flora and Fauna of Prehistoric Times. 

 By Prof. Eolleston,' M.D., F.R.S. 



The author, referring to various prehistoric trees, said that the common elm in 

 this country spreads entirely by suckers and not by seeds, whilst such trees as the 

 spruce and larch spread with great quickness. The author then pointed out an 

 error into which Julius Caesar had fallen in reference to the presence in Britain of 

 certain trees which he had found in Gaul, particularly the Coniferfe. The beech 

 was probably a prehistoric tree, for beechmast was a very preservable thing. 

 Buckwheat, or beechweat, and beechmast were one and the same thing in form, 

 both being of triangular shape. The letters f, a, g, lay at the bottom of the word 

 for beech in most of tbe ancient languages in which it was named. The terms 

 " bacon " and " beech " were allied : and a bacon-fed pig was a pig that had been 

 fed upon beechmast. " Bacon " meant " beech," the article out of which bacon was 

 made. After going over the list of the trees which chiefly arrest the attention as 

 forming a portion of the landscape, the author called attention to the fact that 

 Chaucer, who was essentially a poet of nature, omitted from his detailed lists of 

 trees the names of the willow, beech, and birch. Spencer, writing later, and pro- 

 bably with Chaucer's description before him, had supplied the names of these three 

 trees. It was the opinion of Professor Rolleston that the beech was present in 

 England in prehistoric times, and that it formed a part of the landscape. Witch- 

 elm was used, he thought, in very early times, for the making of coffins, whilst 

 birch had been put to the uses of tools. Remains of the ash were found in English 

 peat, but they were not to be traced in the Scotch peat : nor were the remains of 

 the beech to be found in Scotch peat. The spruce fir, or Norway pine, now of 

 common importation, was not found in England at all, though it will flourish, and 

 does now flourish, here, and spreads by seed without help. The lime tree was, in 

 England, taken great care of, and kept for the uses of bees. There was, however, 

 considerable doubt as to whether or not the lime tree was indigenous to England, 

 though the author had been informed that at a short distance from Worcester 

 there was a large wood in which the small lime is found forming the entire mass 

 of the underwood. Passing from trees to bees and their product, the author 

 asked the question as to when the hive was introduced. The only real fact which 

 they were able to get hold of in answer to this was that in all cases they found 

 the word for hive always like the Latin. The taming of the bee had been 

 ascribed, without any real reason for so doing, to several nations. People having 

 neither the sugar-cane nor the beet-root from which to get sugar, would be 

 compelled to get it from milk or grain, or from similar sources : and honey must 

 have counted for a very great deal. Passing on to prehistoric fauna, Professor 

 Rolleston called attention to the great changes which had taken place in the 

 Mollusca of our country since those times. Referring to what had been termed 

 the Roman snail, he said that this was, without doubt, a very old and well-esta- 

 blished British snail. But there was a little snail which had come all the way 

 from the Caspian, which was now found in such numbers in some parts of England 

 that it would sometimes stop up water-pipes &c. It had been called a mussel, 

 and looked something like one. Not long since it was reported that this snail 

 had been found in prehistoric deposits ; but this the author could not believe. It 



