The presence of congenital patches of white or gray hair on the scalp, as recorded in No.

46, is not an unknown occurrence at the present time; but what the Chaldeans meant by ipga, pinde, hali riksi, and kali on the head of the new-born infant it is impossible to tell.

The guess may be hazarded that cephalhematoma, hydrocephalus, meningocele, nevi, or an excessive amount of vernix caseosa were the conditions indicated, but a wider acquaintance with the meaning of the cuneiform characters is necessary before any certain identification is possible.

The 'pieces of skin hanging from the head' (No.

51) may have been fragments of the membranes; but there is nothing in the accompanying prediction to help us to trace the origin of the popular belief in the good luck following the baby born with a caul.