482 General Notes. [ May, 
according to Rochefort, came from Florida (an incredible theory), 
and according to other authors from South America, were not 
the descendants of the first-named inhabitants of the archipelago. 
The authors named above depict their Caribs with racial charac- 
teristics quite different from those of the race anteriorly described 
by the first conquerors. Their language, according to Breton, 
had nothing in common with that familiar to Columbus and his 
companions. They were, moreover, much mixed with the 
negroes of Saint Vincent and Tabago, forming a race commonly 
led Carib negroes. 
The opinions advanced in this study are related especially to 
the true and ancient Caribs of Columbus and the first chron- 
iclers 
The plaster cast before us was taken from one of a number 
found, in 1847, in a cave near the eastern end of Cuba, by Miguel 
Rodriguez Ferrer, whose explorations, writings and official meas- 
ures have contributed so much to scientific studies in our island. 
Two of these crania are now in Havana, where they were studied 
by the learned Poey; two others were sent to Madrid, where 
they were studied by MM. Graells, Vilanova and Peres Arcas; 
others remained in the possession of the discoverer. The original 
of this cast belonged to the University of Havana, and was de- 
stroyed by fire. Fortunately Sr. Nicolas Gutierez had preserved 3 
a perfect reproduction in plaster, which he presented to the Soci- 
ety of Anthropology. 
_ The cranial measurements of Sr. Montané although useful, and 
| indeed indispensable in other craniological studies, have no !m- 
E portance when we have to prove or disprove an historic fact as 
i: definite as the usage attributed to the Caribs and other American 
ate savages of voluntarily changing the form of the head. Cranio- 
y logical measures are useful in determining the characters of a 
large series or in deciding whether a given skull belongs toa 
lass well known. But M. Montané does not possess the dimen- 
sions of a single series of crania called deformed Carib; what 's 
more he has not the measures of one such. If-such data existed 
_ they would be found in the best known texts, but we search for 
ae i i i i museums nor in 
atlases have we a single example of a deformed Carib skull, 
of St Vincent, the principal home of the Carib négroes. More- 
-~ over, this skull has not been measured by any modern methods, 
_ or at least Dr. Montané does not give them. | kull 
On the contrary, there is at Charleston a veritable Carib s a 
=o _1 Dr, Moultrie, quoted by Morton, “Physical T f American Indians,” = 
- Schoolcraft, “ Archives,” py wi dee mo ET D 
y 
