Cave Hunting: Researches on the evidence of caves respecting the early inhabitants of EuropeDawkins, William Boyd
History
Cave Hunting: Researches on the evidence of caves respecting the early inhabitants of Europe
Dawkins, William Boyd
Antiquities, Prehistoric -- Europe; Caves -- Europe; Europe -- Antiquities; Prehistoric peoples -- Europe
I. _The Frontal Bones._--No. 1. The least transverse diameter,
immediately behind the external angular processes, is 3″·6, and
its greatest (at the coronal suture) about 4″·3. Longitudinal arc,
4″·1. The profile outline of the forehead is slightly receding;
the frontal sinuses moderately developed; and the supraorbital
border thin and acute, whilst the glabellar eminence is large
and prominent. The bone is a good deal compressed on the sides,
so as to have almost the appearance of having formed part of a
cymbecephalic skull. The bone itself is thin, and probably without
any _diploë_.
No. 2 presents exactly the same characters, except that the
longitudinal arc is greater, being 5″·3. The postorbital or least
transverse diameter is 3″·4, and the coronal or greatest 4″·4.
The frontal sinuses are well developed; the supraorbital ridge
rather prominent, but thin and sharp; the external angular process
prominent and thick. Glabellar eminence large and prominent.
The nasals remain _in situ_, and project almost, if not quite,
horizontally forwards, with a rapid curve at first, and then
straight out. The general contour of the bone is exactly like that
of No. 1, in which also, although the nasals are wanting, the
position of the surface by which they were attached shows that they
must in all probability have resembled those of No. 2. The _crista
galli_ of the ethmoid, which is left _in situ_, is remarkably thick
and high.
No. 3 is a portion of a larger and wider bone, the postorbital
diameter being at least 4″·0. The frontal sinuses are very large,
but distinctly defined, as the remainder of the supraorbital border
is not thickened. Owing perhaps to the greater prominence of the
sinuses, the glabella does not appear so protuberant as in the
other instances. The nasal bones remain and project forwards in
the same curious fashion as in No. 2. The frontal crest on the
inner surface is remarkably developed, being at least half an inch
high, though it is separated by a wide notch from the equally
strongly developed _crista galli_ of the ethmoid.
No. 4, when the three bones of which it is composed are put
together, consists of the greater part of the parietal region of
the skull, to which, as before said, the last-described frontal
may have belonged. The left parietal is quite perfect; and a
considerable portion of the right also remains, together with the
entire left temporal; so that a very sufficient estimate of the
proportions of the parietal region of the skull can be obtained.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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