| OCR Text |
Show 59 Viewed from above, it appears like a rounded oval, occipital region flattened, right side more thau left, asymmetry slightly less than in other . specimens. Parietal tubers prominent. Serration of sutures fine. The right profile, which is more complete than the left one, shows an almost perpendicular but slightly outward curved outline of the occipital region, while in the left view the occipital is seen to bulge out ta considerable extent. Temporal ridge narrow and sharp. Mastoid process narrow and small. A front view shows nothing but the narrow and straight forehead, with tolerably developed tubera, and very slight superciliary ridges. Viewed from behind, the roof of the sknll appears rather fiat, with only a slight curvature of the parietals from the sagittal suture to the tubera, while the rest of the outline is similar to that of sknll A. Serration of lambdoidal suture complicated. Muscular insertions of the lower portion of the occipital tolerably developed. Owing to the defective condition of the skull only a limited number of measurements could be obtained. In taking those of the frontal and parietal arches and of the circumference only one- half of the actual distance was measured, and in consequence of this the numbers thus derived bad to be multiplied by 2 in order to get the whole dimensions. Measurements. mm. Length If 3 Breadth 140 Breadth of frontal 118 Frontal arch 280 Parietal arch 222 Occipital arch 212 Circumference 460 Length of frontal 129 Length of parietal 131 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. Disregarding the two skulls obtained from the Tennessee mounds, we notice, as characteristics of the others, the great height and breadth of the cranium, which is most decidedly brachycephalic. As the skulls are deformed we refrain froui calculating the iudices of height and breadth. Denotiug the excess of the longitudinal diameter as compared with the transverse one as positive, aud that of the transverse diameter as compared with the longitudinal one as negative, we obtain the following values: Denization of skoJL L. B. No. 1 i -{- 24mm. No. 3 ; + 19 No. 1778 + 13 No. 1779 - f 3 It will readily be seen that the adult Abiquiu skull ( 1779) is more broad than long, while the others are somewhat longer than they are broad. If we were to calculate the index of breadth we would notice it to decrease in the order adopted in the table, from skull No. 1779 upward. How far the brachycephalic character is due to deformation cannot be decided by means of the limited number of specimens on hand, but according to the general features of the skulls, we consider ourselves justified in saying that originally they were brachycephalic, and that in consequence of the deformation of the occiput the brachycephalic character is brought to view more strikingly than it would be if the skulls had not been |
