Morion's Crania Americana. 365 



The extinct race in Pern, was sncceeded by the " Inca, or 

 Modern Peruvians." This race dates its possession of Pern from 

 about the eleventh century of our era ; and as this period corres- 

 ponds with the epoch of the migration from Mexico of the ToUecas, 

 the most civilized nation of ancient Mexico, Dr. Morton concurs in 

 the opinion expressed by other authors, that the modern Peruvi- 

 ans were of a common origin with the ancient Mexicans. " The 

 modern Peruvians," says he, " differ Httle in person from the In- 

 dians around them, being of the middUng stature, well limbed, 

 and with small feet and hands. Their faces are round, their eyes 

 small, black, and rather distant from each other ; their noses are 

 small, the mouth somewhat large, and the teeth remarkably fine. 

 Their complexion is a dark brown, and their hair long, black, and 

 rather coarse." p. 115. The civilization and comparative refine- 

 ment of the Incas was blended v/ith some remains of the ferocity 

 of the savage. " Matrimonial engagements were entered into 

 with very little ceremony or forethought, and they were as 

 readily set aside at the option of the parties. Polygamy was 

 lawful, but not prevalent." Among the people, incontinence, 

 sensuality, and child-murder were common. Their diet was 

 chiefly vegetables. The people were indolent, filthy and neg- 

 ligent in their persons. The hair of their mummies, in many 

 instances, is charged with desiccated vermin. Their religious 

 system was marked by great simplicity, and was divested of 

 those bloody rites which were common with the Aztecs of 



deficient; his organs of language and form, said Mr. C, were large. He had 

 studied the English language for two years, and spoke it tolerably well. Mr. C. 

 added, that in conversation he was intelligent, ready, and fluent, on all subjects 

 that fell within the scope of the faculties of observation, situated in the supercil- 

 iary ridge, but dull, unintelligent, and destitute equally of ideas and language, on 

 topics that implied the activity of the reflecting faculties, situated in the upper part 

 of the forehead. Mr. C. considered his mental powers to be in direct harmony 

 with the development of his brain. We record this observation, because it is ob- 

 vious, that if different parts of the brain manifest different faculties, ii is indispensa- 

 ble that observations on the manifestations of the mental powers should be equally 

 minute and discriminative with those on the development of particular portions of 

 the cranium. Mr. C added, that the only way to ascertain whether the brain was 

 merely displaced by compression, or otherwise altered, was by careful examination 

 after death; and that he had recommended to Mr. Lee to call the attention of any 

 medical men who might visit these Indians, to this subject. We observed the death 

 of one of these flat-headed Indians mentioned as having occurred in New York. 

 Did any of the phrenologists or anti-phrenologists examine the brain ? It was an 

 excellent opportunity for Dr. Rees. 



