256 CRANIA AMERICANA. 



held in the left hand, with the face resting on the palm; the seed being well 

 packed with the finger or steel strike, and a candle placed nearly between the 

 eye and foramen magnum, all the seed above the inserted wire is drawn out 

 through the foramen by means of a strike made of a piece of stiff steel, half 

 an inch wide, first filed straight on the edge, and then bent laterally so as to draw 

 out the seed from the sides of the cranium. By working the strike about until 

 it rested on both the wire and anterior margin of the foramen magnum, and 

 examining how the surface of the seed coincided with these two points of the 

 measurement, by inspection through the foramen with a due management of the 

 light, the capacity can be obtained in a much more satisfactory manner than was 

 at first anticipated. The seed is then transferred to the tin tube, and its quantity 

 ascertained as in measuring the total capacity. 



The capacity of the posterior chamber is obtained by deducting the capacity 

 of the anterior chamber from that of the whole cranium. 



The points through which the plane was drawn in the tw^o last measurements, 

 was preferred to one drawn from the meatus auditorius, so that it should be 

 vertical when the head was placed in its natural position when in life ; because 

 the irregular form of the meatus prevented its being a fixed starting point ; and 

 the difficulty of determining the living position of the head (which must have 

 depended entirely on the eye, and might have been materially affected by the 

 disposition of the light,) would have thrown a degree of uncertainty and irregu- 

 larity over the results. A line drawn through the (Centre of the meatus, however, 

 and the one adopted, generally coincided within a quarter of an inch. 



Note. — It will be observed that all the measurements have not been obtained in respect to every 

 skull, which has chiefly arisen from the imperfection of some of the crania, while a few others came 

 to hand so late as to preclude the possibility of taking the more difficult measurements.— All the 

 Peruvians marked with a star are from the Temple of the Sun, (see page 132.) The figufes in the 

 first column refer to corresponding numbers in my Catalogue of Crania, and are inserted here for the 

 purpose of reference, and to give greater facility in comparing and correcting the measurements 

 hereafter. The number in the second column refers to the corresponding plate in this work. The 

 Table was considerably extended during the progress of the work through the press, which will 

 explain some slight differences between it and the results as stated in the preceding pages. 



