CHAP. IX.] THE NORTHERN MONGOLS. 315 



rather as "Allophylian Whites" than as original members of the 

 yellow race. Prichard, to whom we owe this now 



Assimilation 



nearly obsolete term "Allophylian," held this view 1 , totheCaucasic 

 and even Prof. Sayce is "more than doubtful whether 

 we can class the Mongols physiologically with the Turkish-Tatars 

 [the Turki peoples], or the Ugro-Finns V 



It may, indeed, be allowed that at present the great majority 

 of the Finno-Turki populations occupy a position amongst the 

 varieties of mankind which is extremely perplexing for the strict 

 systematise When the whole division is brought under survey, 

 every shade of transition is observed between the Siberian Sa- 

 moyads of the Finnic branch and the steppe Kirghiz of the Turki 

 branch on the one hand, both of whom show Mongol characters 

 in an exaggerated form, and on the other the Osmanli Turks and 

 Hungarian Magyars, most of whom may be regarded as typical 

 Caucasians. Moreover, the difficulty is increased by the fact, 

 already pointed out, that these mixed Mongolo-Caucasic charac- 

 ters occur not only amongst the late historic groups, but also 

 amongst the earliest known groups " Chudes," Usuns, Uigurs 

 and others who may be called Proto- Finnish and Proto-Turki 

 peoples. But precisely herein lies the solution of the problem. 

 Most of the region now held by Turki and Finnish nations was 

 originally occupied by long-headed Caucasic men of the late Stone 

 Ages (see above). Then followed the Proto-Mongol intruders from 

 the Tibetan tableland, who partly submerged, partly intermingled 

 with their Neolithic forerunners, many thus acquiring those mixed 

 characters by which they have been distinguished from the earliest 

 historic times. Later, further interminglings took place according 

 as the Finno-Turki hordes, leaving their original seats in the Altai 

 and surrounding regions, advanced westwards and came more and 

 more into contact with the European populations of Caucasic type. 



We may therefore conclude that the majority of the Finno- 

 Turks were almost from the first a somewhat mixed race, and that 

 during historic times the original Mongol element has gradually 

 yielded to the Caucasic in the direction from east to west. Such 

 is the picture now presented by these heterogeneous populations, 



1 Natural History of Man, 1865 ed. pp. 185-6. 

 - Science of Language ) 11. p. 190. 



