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Was the Skull of the Moriori artijicially deformed ? 
at the time these crania were those of living persons did not practise deformation. 
I think this is definitely indicated not only by the bulk in all aspects of Thomson's 
plates, but by her figures, in particular her mean sagittal contours (pp. 113 and 
115 of her paper). It is also indicated by Poll's cranial photographs and photo- 
graphs of living representatives of the Moriori*. However, some general impres- 
sion of what a deformed skull looks like and what it does not look like may be 
obtained if the reader will examine the accompanying plate in which I have 
reproduced the norviae laterales of two specimens practically taken at random 
from each of the Moriori, New Hebridean and Peruvian series. Apart from this 
I think the pentagonal norma occipitalis, the curvature of the posterior portion of 
the sagittal contours, the sagittal crest and the extraordinarily rugous and 
muscular character of the whole skull are quite sufficient to put deformation out 
of the question. 
Is the skull IQo^^ singled out by Professor Giuffrida-Ruggeri really 
where there may have been some deformation ? I personally think not, it only 
shows the racial characters of the Moriori in a possibly somewhat emphasised 
mannerf. If the view be taken that the bulk of the Royal College series of crania 
are normal and this particular one artificially deformed, then the continuous 
graduation of the frontal index throughout the series will have to be met. And 
further, are we to term artificially deformed all seventeenth century English crania 
— and they are fairly numerous — with a lower frontal index than the mean Moriori 
skull ? Plates XII, XIV aud XVI of Biometrika, Vol. V exhibit such crania. I 
think there is very little doubt that the anatomical anthropologists will agree 
that- the artificial deformation of the Moriori has remained undiscovered up till 
to-day — simply because it does not exist. The Moriori have a minimum frontal 
index, not because they deformed their skulls, but because they contained a racial 
element more primitive than the bulk of the "South Oceanic races"|. 
* These photographs unfortunately iu no case give a profile, and it is accordingly diflScult to appreciate 
the retreating frontal. Giuffrida-Kuggeri dismisses these photographs by saying that the later Moriori 
may well have given up the practice of deformation. But our type contours do not suggest bad fits to 
the living head. 
f Professor Giuffrida-Kuggeri wrote apparently to Sir Arthur Keith asking him to verify — not 
whether the Moriori series was as a whole artificially deformed but — whether 765^-'' was artificially 
deformed "come io sospettaro." According to Professor Giuffrida-Ruggeri the reply fully confirmed the 
view that it is a case of artificial deformation. I hardly interpret Sir Arthur Keith's reply to sanction the 
hypothesis of a general artificial deformation of the Moriori crania. He wrote: "I have just examined 
the skull Chatham Islander 765"*^ and compared it with deformed skulls from the New Hebrides. You 
are right : it shows exactly the same frontal features as the deformed Hebridean — differing from them 
in the great parietal width." While it shows as well as other Moriori crania do a flat frontal, a character 
of the Hebridean deformed crania, they show entirely different features not only of the frontals, but of 
the parietals and occipitals from those of the New Hebrides, the features in the latter case being 
markedly correlated with the artificial frontal changes. 
X Professor Giuffrida-Ruggeri speaks of the postbregmatic depression (" insellatura retrobregma- 
tica "), noted by both Poll and Thomson, as in his opinion evidence of artificial deformation. We found 
it equally conspicuous in many seventeenth century English crania, but were unable to associate it 
with any "legatura trasversale al vertico," which we could trace in the customs of the day ; it occurred 
in over 19% of 412 English crania. It can therefore hardly be regarded as in any way evidence of 
artificial deformation. 
