REVIEWS. 
ee 
OBSERVATIONS UPON THE CRANIAL FORMS OF THE AMERICAN ABORIG- 
INES. By J. Aitken Meigs, M. D. Philadelphia, 1866. pp. 39. 8vo. 
kgs valuable observations here recorded are based upon the large 
ection of skulls belonging to the Academy of Natural Sciences at 
Philadelphia largely consisting of the celebrated Morton collection. 
or’s conclusions, niet derived from a study of this and 
other satel lead him to state that ‘‘it becomes very probable that 
her or the American variety of man neither unity nor genetic 
iso dation” It is well known that Dr. Morton advocated strongly the 
diversity of the origin of Man, and the uniformity of the American 
type of skulls; i.e., that the Indian is a distinct species from the Es- 
quimaux, Negro, or Caucasian, and was created on the soil he now in- 
habits. But M. Alcide D’Orbigny, with his observant eye and rare 
experience as a traveller in South America, contended that the races 
1 the American races, was shared by Blumenbach, Lawrence and 
hani and others, especially Dr. Desmoulins and Bory de Vincent, 
two French Ethnologists. 
More recently, the late Prof. Retzius, a Scandinavian ethnologist 
of high E cri sanga Dr. anang views, mam that < ns is 
scarcely any p ft rld where such contra und 
between dtr ‘ing: kosii nits) and Sar enet had 
or square-headed skulls) as in America!” Dividing the American races 
into ‘neta: Same he ‘‘traces the pedigree of the Esquimaux into Asia, 
a the Chinese population, the transitionary link being the Aleu- 
he 
ibes) mes 
to be related to the Guanches of the Canary Islands, and the Atlantic 
tribes in Africa, as the Moors, Berbers, Tuaricks, Copts, etc., which 
are comprised under the Amazirgh and Egyptian Atlantidæ of La- 
tham. The American brachycephalic tribes which belong chiefly ie 
is 
d’Halloy, Latham, and, more recently, Wilson, the authorof ‘‘ Prehistor- 
ic Man,” have sated their belief in ce diversity of the American races. 
Our author gives many facts of much interest to the special student, 
and miter eset up Fae conclusions -— hag 
; isd ¢ groups. 
