446 MATERIALS FOR A FAUNA CANADE^fSIS. 



some measure at least, to artificial distortion. That nature has accorded to many 

 of them a brachycephalic skull, and also that this feature is so marked as to be 

 regarded as a typical character among the majority of the races of the Western 

 Continent, may be admitted. Still, art has been frequently, almost generally, 

 called in to heighten this conformation in a smaller or greater degree. And it 

 is by no means improbable that its influence may be perceived among the abori- 

 ginal crania of the British Isles, especially in this greater or less occipital flat- 

 ness, which is frequently unsymmetrical." 



It was on the faith of this passage, that I was led to speak of Mr. 

 Davis as confirming my views ; and that I now feel some surprise on 

 finding him refer to Gosse and other continental craniologists, while 

 wholly ignoring the source of the idea alone originally noted by him. 

 Certainly if the passage is critically analysed, it appears only to credit 

 me with the theory of artificial distortion as one source of the forms 

 in question occurring in American crania, and probably most readers 

 may have assumed the concluding remark relative to the occipital 

 flatness in certain British crania, — since expanded into the paper in 

 the Natural History Review, — as Mr. Davis's own ; but as it is little 

 more than a repetition of remarks in the paper to which he refers in 

 the previous sentence, and, indeed, occurring partly on the same page, 

 where Dr. Morton's views on the subject, in its American aspects, are 

 discussed, it can be no great presumption to believe that " if he had 

 not plowed with my heifer, he had not found out my riddle." 



MATERIALS FOR A FAUNA CANADENSIS. 



BY WILLIAM HTNCKS, F.L.S., B.S.E., 



HON. MEMB. IIV. IIT. AND PHIL. SOC, TOEKSHTBE PHIL. SOC, AND BOX. SOC. OF CANADA f 

 COEE. MEMB. OE THE ESSEX CO. INST. ; PEOE. NAT. HIST,, UNIV. COLL., TOEONTO. 



The difficulties attending the study of every branch of Natural 

 History in Canada, are greatly aggravated by the want of books fitted 

 to afford to the student, in a convenient and scientific form, such as- 

 sistance as the present state of our knowledge renders practicable. 

 A lover of Nature, who applies himself to any special department in 

 his own locality, may collect specimens, but they will afford him very 

 little satisfaction unless named and arranged ; to which end he must 

 have a good system, and must have characters of the received genera 

 and known species, so that he can ascertain the history of the object 



