412 ETHNICAL FORMS AND UNDESIGNED ARTIFICIAL 



ihe I 



Attracted as my attention was, to the marked contrast between the 

 protruding occiput of the elongated dolichocephalic, or kumbecephalic 

 skull, recognisable among some Scottish primitive crania that came 

 under my observation, and the abrupt, truncated occiput of the oppo- 

 site type, I was the more prepared to suspect the exaggeration of the 

 latter peculiar conformation by artificial means ; and this has been 

 confirmed as I have become familiar with the characteristic peculiari- 

 ties of American artificially distorted crania, by recognising in them 

 the constant occurrence of the same unsymmetrical irregularities as 

 are frequent in British brachy cephalic crania. The Lesmurdie 

 skull in the Scottish Museum, already referred to, is marked by 

 great inequality in relative lateral development, especially where an 

 unusual post-parietal expansion gives to it its most peculiar charac- 

 ter ; and the unequal parietal development, or bulging out on the one 

 side, of the Juniper Green skull, is all the more deserving of atten- 

 tion from the precise knowledge we possess of the posthumous in- 

 fluences to which it had been subject. The concomitants of the 

 Lesmurdie skull were little less striking in this respect. It was re- 

 covered from a cist formed of slabs of mica-slate. Though con- 

 structed with care, and neatly paved with a flooring of water-worn 

 stones embedded in loam, the crevices of the cist had not been so 

 effectually closed as to prevent the micaceous sand and earth from 

 being carried in, so as to fill about three-fourths of the narrow cham- 

 ber. This accumulation sloped away with diminishing depth 

 towards the northern end, where the skull lay on its left side, so that 

 the earth only partially imbedded it, leaving the right side uncovered. 

 A neatly ornamented urn, as in the Juniper Grreen cist, stood behind 

 the skull, with its rim protruding above the sand, from which it was 

 recovered in a perfect state. These facts, along with those already 

 detailed in reference to the circumstances under which the Juniper 

 Green skull was found, are important, from the proof they furnish 

 that to whatever cause the unsymmetrical irregularity may be 

 traced, it cannot be ascribed to posthumous compression. The 

 slight accumulation of infiltrated sand in the Lesmurdie cist did not 

 cover the skull ; while that at Juniper Green was free even from 

 such trifling adventitious elements. There the skeleton lay within 

 its narrow sepulchral chamber so entirely protected from any exter- 

 nal influences, that we fancied we could detect some slight traces 

 of its linen covering, especially on the larger leg bones. 



