ANCIENT AND MODERN CELT. 375 



recovered from Freuch and English grave mounds, contemporary with 

 the era of Roman occupation. 



It may be assumed as a recognized fact, that the form of the human 

 skull is essentially distinctive of race. The difficulty is to determine 

 the characteristic differentiae, especially in approximate races ; and 

 hence considerable diversity of opinion still prevails as to tbe methods 

 best fitted to express the ethnical significance of form, proportions, 

 prognathism or orthognathism, and other characteristic diversities. 

 But as the study of craniology, and anthropology generally, continues to 

 receive ever increasing attention, the simple broad distinctions, such 

 as those which satisfied Blumenbach or even Retzius, disappear ; and 

 BOW we have brachycephalic, dolichocephalic, kumbecephalic, scapho- 

 cephalic, macrocephalic, sphenocephalic, acrocephalic, and platyce- 

 phalic skulls, with numerous subordinate modifications. Of those 

 forms, five, at least, occur among ancient British crania ; and include 

 types of extreme diversity. To some of these I have already repeat- 

 edly referred in former papers ; and have indicated in other publica- 

 tions some of the grounds that lead me to infer the existence, at some 

 remote period, of races distinct from the Celtic tribes found in occupa- 

 tion of the British Islands, at the period of Roman invasion.* 



Briefly, the evidence already set forth points to a megalithic era, 

 with huge chambered catacombs of cyclopean masonry, and traces 

 of a race remarkable for long, narrow heads, moderately developed 

 zygomata and cheek bones, and small under jaws, as their builders. 

 To this it is objected that by assigning priority to the constructors of 

 the elaborate and massive chambered catacombs over the simpler bar- 

 row builders, the probable order in the succession of constructive re- 

 mains is inverted. This idea, however, proceeds on the assumption 

 that primitive arts must invariably proceed from the rudest to more 

 ingenious and elaborate works. The recently discovered carvings and 

 engravings, found by M. Lartet and Mr. Christie in the Dordogne 

 Caves, of Central France, rude though they are, suffice to prove that 

 artistic ingenuity is no modern acquisition of man. But we are deal- 

 ing with races nearer the confines of the historic period than the con- 

 temporaries of the Reindeer of Central France. The cyclopean cata- 



• Ethnical forms and undesigned artificial distortions of the Human Cranium. 

 Canadian Journal, Vol. VII. p. 399. Illustrations of the significance of certain 

 Ancient British skull forms. Ibid. Vol. VIII. p. 127. Prehistoric Annals of 

 Scotland. Sec. Ed. pp. 221-298, &c. 



