No. 33, — 1880.] the veddAs of ceylon. 



397 



arched curve, with full high brow and round, strongly pro- 

 jecting back head. The sutures are well preserved ; only 

 the under portions of the coronarie and the spheno -frontalis 

 are synosteotic. In spite of this the temporal regions are on 

 the whole well formed. From a posterior view this skull 

 also has an ogivalous form, yet with greater breadth of basis. 

 The squama occipitalis is high, and the lambdoidal angle 

 very acute. The cerebellar arches large. At the basis the 

 occipital region appears unusually long. The processus con- 

 dyloides are very prominent, and the articular facets turned 

 decidely outward. The mastoid process strong. In a 

 front view the forehead appears broad ; the nasal root some- 

 what deep, but narrow; the bridge of the nose erect ; the 

 orbita large and slightly rounded ; the zygomatic arch not 

 prominent. 



Although Mr. Haly says there is no proof that skull No. 1 

 is a Vedda" skull, yet I see no reason why it should not be 

 considered as such. Batticaloa is, as we learn from the pre- 

 ceding accounts, known to be the old Vedda region ; and the 

 statement of Mr. Hume that it is the skull of a Vedda woman 

 must have been founded on distinct circumstantial evidence. 

 Certainly it is the skull of a woman ; and since also it 

 coincides with other Vedda skulls, I do not scruple to accept 

 it as such. The circumstance that there is nothing about it 

 corresponding to the usual idea of the skull of a savage 

 cannot be of any weight, since the rest of the skulls also 

 impress us as being comparatively delicate, not to say 

 civilised. This is a peculiarity which belongs to different 

 unquestionably savage inhabitants of the Eastern Archipelago, 

 and which is especially conspicuous among the Andamanese, 

 the Negritos of the Phillipines, and many other savage 

 tribes in the mountains of Hindustan. The origin of the 

 two other skulls is so clearly testified to by the missionary of 

 that region, Mr. Somanader, that there is no room for doubt. 



For comparison we have a not inconsiderable number of 

 apparently well-ascertained skulls now to be found in 



31—87 E 



