194 Notes on the Evidence bearing
may be cited for the proposition that the typical dolicho-
cephalic Scandinavian is not to be distinguished from the
typical dolicho-cephalic Celtic skull," and mentions Retzius,
Sir William Wilde, Nilsson, Omalius d'Halloy, Virchow, and
Schaafhausen as holding this view, though he himself appears
to think they differ in certain minor details.8 He also quotes
from Broca9 to the effect that certain districts of modern
Brittany, in which refugees from Britain in the 5th century
are said to have settled in great numbers, are now dis-
tinguished by the tallness, light complexion, and dolicho-
cephaly of their inhabitants.
Both branches of the Celtic family, the Briton (Brython)
and the Gael (Goidel), are represented in the British Isles.
The Gael appear to have been the earlier comers, both from the
position of the Gaelic-speaking people at the present day, and
from traces of their former existence where the language of
the other branch of Celts is now spoken. On the Continent
Gaelic is unknown, while a tongue akin to Welsh is still that
of a million and a half of Frenchmen in Brittany. Like
almost all the invaders of Britain, there can be no doubt that
both Gael and Briton first landed in the south-east, and
thence spread towards the west and north. The Gaelic
colonists are consequently found still speaking their language
in Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland, while the language
of the Britons prevails in Wales, and existed, little more
than a century ago, in Cornwall. Mr. Isaac Taylor remarks
that the greater number of Celtic names in England are of
Brythonic type, but notices the existence of a thin stream of
Goidelic names from the Thames to the Mersey, "as if to
indicate the route by which the Gaels passed across to Ireland,
impelled probably by the succeeding hosts of Cymric in-
vaders."10 On the other hand, there appears to be little
evidence, judging from place-names, that any considerable
number of Brythons crossed over to Ireland, though Brigantes
settled in what is now Wexford. But they predominated in
Britain south of the Forth and Clyde, and settled more or
8 'British Barrows,' p. 646. 9 'British Barrows,' p. 636.
10 'Words and Places.'