DIFFICULTIES OF RECONSTRUCTION 347 
rather further back than on the left side. On both sides 
the lower part of the lambdoid margin is missing for 
an extent of 12 mm. (about half an inch). On the left 
side, although the parietal reaches up to the middle line, 
a long marginal fragment, at least 10 mm. wide, has been 
broken away from the hinder border. On the right side 
the upper or roofing part of the parietal is altogether 
absent, the missing part at the hinder end being about 
^^ mm. in width. Having ascertained those facts, we 
are now in a position to adjust the hinder margins of the 
parietal bones on the right and left sides of the head. 
It is apparent that they must be adjusted so that the 
lower border of each bone is on the same level, and 
occupy the same relative position on each side. The 
distance of the hinder border of each parietal bone from 
the mid-line is indicated by the width of the occipital 
bone, which has been already determined. 
Having thus settled the corresponding points in the 
right and left parietal bones, I now turn to the second 
point — small and seemingly unimportant, but one which 
gave me much trouble at first. It relates to the little 
fragment of the occipital which Dr Smith Woodward 
found (fig. 118, O'). Our conception of the head and 
brain-form of this ancient human type turns on being 
certain that this fragment is rightly placed. A close 
inspection of the original occipital bone in Dr Smith 
Woodward's keeping raises the suspicion that the 
fragment has not been rightly adjusted. When one 
scrutinises the fine vascular grooves and markings on the 
inner aspect of the fragment, and traces them to the crack 
where the union has been made to the main piece, the 
fine vascular grooves and markings cease and are not 
caught up and continued beyond the join, which they 
should be if the fit were a true and accurate one. My 
suspicion that the union was not quite right arose, 
however, from two other observations. On the hinder 
margin of the right parietal is still to be seen a triangular 
notch (fig. 102), marking the point where evidently the 
workman's pick pierced the skull. On the adjacent 
