Note 1900 — THE ETHNOLOGY OF ANCIENT BRITAIN (continued 2)

Ib. Thurnam’s figures are much about the same. He found that out of 70 skulls from round barrows 44 had indices ranging from 80 to 89 (Memoirs Anthr. Soc., iii, 1870, pp. 48-50; Archaeologia, xliii, 1871, pp. 543-4). There is reason to believe that some of the round skulls found in round barrows had been artificially flattened on the occiput in infancy; but Thurnam (Crania Britannica, ii, pl. 45, p. 6) shows that their brachycephaly was only due in a minor degree to this cause. I presume that Dr. Beddoe, in his article in L’Anthr. (v, 1894, p. 522), did not take account of 15 skulls which were found in 1885-7, in association with bronze and remains of the urus, during the excavation of the Ribble Docks at Preston. Their cephalic indices range between 70·41 and 81·76. See Vict. Hist. of ... Lancs, i, 250.