was at first led to suppose it possible, especially in
consideration of their apparently circumscribed occurrence in this
country, that they might have been introduced here by the Northmen; a
conjecture that seems to lose all foundation since these relics have
been found as far west as the Mississippi.

* * * * *

_Note._--Since the preceding remarks were written, I have received from
my friend, Mr. William A. Foster, of Lima, ten skulls and two entire
mummied bodies from the Peruvian cemetery at Arica. "This cemetery,"
observes Mr. Foster, "lies on the face of a sandhill sloping towards the
sea. The external surface occupied by these tombs, as far as we
explored, I should say was five or six acres. In many of the tombs three
or four bodies were found clustered together, always _in the sitting
posture_, and wrapped in three or four thicknesses of cloth, with a mat
thrown over all."

These crania possess an unusual interest, inasmuch as, with two
exceptions, they present the horizontally elongated form, in every
degree from its incipient stage to its perfect development.

By what contrivance has the rounded head of the Indian been moulded into
this fantastic shape? I have elsewhere[17-+] offered some explanations
of this subject; but the present series of skulls throws yet more light
on it, and enables me to indicate the precise manner in which this
singular object has been attained.

It is evident that the forehead was pressed downwards and backwards by
two compresses, (probably a folded cloth,) one on each side of the
frontal suture, which was left free; a fact that explains the cause of
the ridge, which, in every instance, replaces that suture by extending
from the root of the nose to the coronal suture. To keep these
compresses in place, a bandage was carried over them from the base of
the occiput obliquely forwards; and then, in order to confine the
lateral portions of the skull, the same bandage was continued by another
turn over the top of the head, immediately behind the coronal suture,
and probably with an intervening compress; and the bandaging was
repeated over these parts until they were immovably confined in the
desired position.

Every one who is acquainted with the pliable condition of the cranial
bones at birth, will readily conceive how effectually this apparatus
would mould the head in the elongated or cylindrical form; for, while it
prevents the forehead from risin