202 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



The considerable development of the frontal sinuses and of the dif- 

 ferent ridges and processes of the skull, shows it to be that of an adult, 

 and the same characters lead me to believe that it belonged to a male. 

 Otherwise it is small enough for a female, as its extreme lengtli does 

 not exceed 7-2 in., its extreme breadth 5-4 in., and its horizontal cir- 

 cumference 201 inches. 



The skull has a very peculiar form. If a line drawn from the 

 glabella to the superior curved line of the occiput be made hori- 

 zontal, the highest point of the longitudinal median contour of the 

 skull will be seen to be situated about the middle of the length of 

 the sagittal suture, and from this point the contour shelves rapidly 

 downwards, to the brow on the one hand, and to the centre of the 

 space between the apex of the lambdoidal suture and the occipital 

 protuberance on the other. This last is the most prominent portion 

 of the back part of the skull, the median contour below it bending 

 forwards to the occipital protuberance, which is a very strong, project- 

 ing, triangular process. It follows from this description that a line 

 taken from the glabella to the occipital protuberance is shorter 

 than one from the glabella to'a point midway between this and the 

 lambdoidal suture. The difference between the two is about 0-3 of 

 an inch. I find that crania differ a good deal in this respect, the 

 occipital protuberance being in many, especially the lower races of 

 mankind, the most backwardly situated part of the skull, when the 

 glabello-occipital line is made horizontal, while in others, as in the 

 present instance, the most posterior part of the skull is situated 

 much higher up. 



The line of greatest breadth of tbe skull is situated nearly in the 

 same plane as that of its greatest height, in the position indicated, 

 and the auditory foramina may also be said, roughly, to be intersected 

 by that plane. The forehead is low and narrow, but not retreating. 

 The supraciliary prominences are very well developed and, by their 

 form, indicate the existence of large frontal sinuses. The space be- 

 tween the glabella and the nasal suture is not really very depressed, 

 tliough on the side view of the skull it appears to be so, by reason 

 of the projection of the supraorbital prominences. 



Tlio vortical lieight of the skull from the centre of the auditory 

 foranuMi to the vertex is -l-S inches, and the centre of the auditory 

 foramen lies about 0\S of an inch below the level of the glabello-occi- 

 pital line. 



The mastoid and styloid processes are well developed. 



