Decemisek 7, ist*;;. 



SCIENCE. 



151 



seems to be the lons-lieadeil people, reptesenteJ by 

 the skulls from Skerrabrae aiiJ Savorough. We have 

 next the round-headed race, which probably occupied 

 the country for a considerable time. The time when 

 these races inliabiti'il the islands is cjuite uncertain. 

 The abundance of deer-horn at Skerrabrae indicates 

 the presence of these animals, which would probably 

 be associated with forests. When the Romans visited 

 the Orkneys, tlieir historians tell us tliat there wurr 

 no forests there. Also the absence of metals, and the 

 rude implements, point to a people in the unpolished 

 stone period. Some evidence is also found in the 

 washini;-away of tlie coast. The round-headed race 

 seems to have lived just before or at the beginning of 

 the bronze period. — [■lourn. anlhrop. inst., xiii. 54.) 

 J. w. p. [465 



The Jutish type of face. — Tlie peculiarity of the 

 .lutish features consists in the form of llie nose and 

 mouth. There is no nasal point or tip, properly so 

 called, as In the Danish, Cymric, jind Iberian face, and 

 their inter-crosses; nor is there any approacli to the 

 slight bulb wliich distinguishes the Saxon. The end 

 of tlie nose is rounded off somewhat sliarply, and the 

 septum descends considerably below the line of the 

 nostrils. The lips are less moulded or formed, and 

 resemble the Iberian rallier than the Saxon type. 

 The lower lip, more particularly. Is thick and deep. 

 Mr. J. Park Harrison lia.s been searching for speci- 

 mens of the Jutisli countenance in Kent, Isle of 

 Wiglit, anil in South Hauls. — {.Toiern. anthrop. inst., 

 xlil. SO.) .J w. 1'. • [466 



Egyptian mechanical methods. — Petrie, who is 

 the autlior of a treatise on ancient metrology, has 

 lately turned liis attention to ancient Egyptian pro- 

 cesses. Tliough much labor has been bestowed on 

 the literary remains of Egypt and the description of 

 monuments, little attention has been given to finding 

 out the tools and methods by which their results were 

 reached. The first cimclusion to whieli Mr. Petrie 

 comes, is tliat the stone-cutting was performed by 

 means of graving-points far harder than the material 

 to be cut. These points were bedded in a basis of 

 bronze; and in boring, the cutting action was not by 

 grinding with a powder, as in a lapidary's wheel, but 

 by graving with a (ixed point, as in a planing-machine. 

 From discovering spiral grooves in diorite and granite, 

 at least , ,',„ of an inch in depth, the author supposes 

 that an instrument was used of sufDcient hardness to 

 penetrate the material that far at a single turn. In 

 this, however, he was corrected by Mr. Evans. The 

 simplest tool used was a straight bronze s.aw set 

 with jewels; but there is proof of one circular saw 

 which must have been Hi inches in diameter. For 

 hollowing the insides of stone objects, the inventive 

 genius of the fourth dynasty exactly anticipated mod- 

 em devices by adopting tubular drills varying from 

 1% of an inch In diameter and i ,ii) of an inch in thick- 

 ness, to Is Inches in diameter. Otlier drills, not tubu- 

 lar, were used for small holes, one measuring 1 1^, 

 Inches long and i .lu of an inch in diameter. But this 

 Is sur|)assed by the Uaupes of Soutli America, wlio 

 drill-holes In rock-crystal by the rotation of a pointed 

 leaf-shoot of plantain, worked with sand and water. 



The writer of this note lias seen, in Porti> Kico, stone 

 beads of the hardest material, 2 inches long, bored lon- 

 ■gitudinally with an orifice i',; of an inch in diameter. 

 The Egyptians understood rotating both Die tool and 

 the work. For tlie finishing of vases, a hook-tool must 

 have been used; but the early Egyptians were famil- 

 iar, not only with Lathes and jewel-turning tools, but 

 with mechanical tool-rests, and sweeping regular arcs 

 in cutting. In addition to the tools mentioned, are 

 to be noticed those for dressing out drilled cores, stone 

 hammering and smoothing, saws with curved Ijlades, 

 mallets, chisels, .adzes, .and how-drills. For marking 

 and indicating the plane of the stone, red-ochre paint 

 was used in a variety of ways, well studied out by -Mr. 

 Petrie. Eock-excavation, bath for saving the stone 

 and for the creation of vaults and chambers, was alto- 

 gether an affair of drilling. Granite bowlders were 

 utilized in the pyramids, but the best stones were 

 taken from quarries. The method of handling these 

 immense masses is not known. Mr. Petrie concludes 

 with a sensible remark upon the oft-alleged Inhuman- 

 ity of the pyramid and temple builders. To require a 

 man every six years to serve upon the public works, 

 during the season when he could do nothing else, 

 would certainly not be a great hardship. — {Jmirn. 

 anthrop. inst.. xlil. 8S.) o. T. M. [467 



Navajo mythology. — The Navajos, says Dr. 

 Washington ilattliews, speak of five worlds, in four 

 of which our fathers lived ere reaching this. In the 

 first world were the first man, the first woman, and 

 the coyote. In ,the second world were two other 

 men, the sun and the moon people, and at the four 

 corners were the people of the cardinal points. An 

 amour of the sun with first woman led to the ascent 

 of all to the third world, where they found another 

 race of people living in the mountains. Here coyote 

 stole the children of Tieholtsodi (he who seizes you 

 in the sea), who caused a deluge to cover the earth. 

 The emigrants ascended to the fourth world through 

 the growth of a hollow reed. Here a disturbance 

 arose concerning the relative value of men and 

 women, which resulted in favor of the men. After 

 the lapse of some years they were pursued hither by 

 the giant looking for his cubs, which coyote still 

 concealed. The tloods rose, and they were let up 

 into world five by the badger and the locust. The 

 cubs were thrown down to the giant, and the waters 

 subsided. Then came the fitting-up of the world for 

 their abode. At this point of the myth are several 

 very pretty origin-stories about the dry' land, the 

 mountains, the sun and moon, the making of climate, 

 etc. Here is one. '• On the fifth day the sun arose, 

 climbed to the zenith, and stopped. Coyote said, 

 ■ The sun stops because he has not been paid : he de- 

 mands a human life for every day that he labors.' 

 At length a woman, the wife of a great chief, ceased 

 to breathe, and grew cold. The sun travelled down 

 the western sky, and passed behind the western 

 mountain."' There is a similar moon myth.* Then 

 follow the confusion of tongues, the making of the 

 stars, the lengthening of the seasons, the forming of 

 snow, the planting of corn. At this juncture, on 

 account of the wickedness of mankind, first woman 



