A Famous Skull.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 27 June 1910, Page 4

A Famous Skull.

VKARS OIJ). In tin' .Museum of the 1 ioy;il College of Su lies a famous skuM. Diseovi'fcil at Gibraltar many years i!a;i), if lias been agreed to lie that id a human 1 ill .u" ol' prehistoric times. Many .scientists 'have examine! it: many Mieories re,<i,i:irdiiir<; tin* i>\\Ncr ol' it have been pioniamee:l. For ''ame wars p'st, .armed With a in a system :jI intnicaite measurement and with all the resources ■ I' n!::: I .'l'll at his hack, I'ro-l(s-i;r A. Kititli, Cura.tor l of the A!' 1 vim. I.'is !k cii> trying to lift the \. :l Ik ill fie pa-t. lie has cem-p-'iv:l tlh* skull minutely with those

■!' t e pc::]:'e :,'! all n.iti.ins to-day. a)i.l has sift :it side by .s-ido with all other available prehistoric relies. In, an interview, discarding technicalities, I'rol'evs.'M- Keith spoke o4 his conclusions. "The skid K 1 li.n.vclittle doubt, is that of ;\ woima.u," he said. "From the size of her bi'ii.iii she must have been shrewd probably a woman. Itoo. of considerable spirit. One can reckon niTitt.v accurately alv > the t'.me 'iiit \vli:i:4i she livf:l. It. must have been at least (iOO.OOO years ago.

"From the jaws and thy fact Mint the ni'iKclcs of mastication were, renvarkal'ly strong it is possible to deduce what this prehistoric woma.n ate. Xuits and roots probaibly en-t'.-'red very largely into her d/iet. ■Slil' w.is_ in the habit of eaitiiivg things wich rcf|iiired a great amount of nwtication before mudi nouri.shniitMit could be derived from them, hence the unusual development of the jaw muscles. The men 000,000 years ago were, without doubt, long ■firmed. Their legs were short. Thev had nbnorm.ally strong, thick necks. It is clear', too, T think, that their brains were fur larger than has previously been oem-eded. It seems reasaii'.-iblev oeiit.a.in, too, that f'.»y we--;-- able t:i specik to (r.-li oii.f.l-. l< , mm niv examn'u''it.ic.,ii of til'.--- brnjn cavity of the skull f have been dilo to deduce finite clcarlv thalt the ce,lls controlling ''tv.'ch winv .there. Tin's woman lived at a period before houses wore thought of. Some sort of rude shelter must have been her nbode. An/I the mm of this far-distant flge miu-thnve spent most of their time ro'aining 'about in m v >bs. Trcbablv they were Aivl T shoukl Miv tirrt thev fi.'-ied +-r:. The pne-I'li.-'/ovie '-kull that she had n long nose. Her ey«?, too, "must hive been nrominpiit. Her ir\nie was larger than that of the womniii of to-diiy.