Chap. VII.] THE RACES OF MAN. 207 



any two forms when first crossed, or in their offspring, is 

 generally considered as a decisive test of their specific 

 distinctness; and their continued persistence without 

 blending within the same area, is usually accepted as 

 sufficient evidence, either of some degree of mutual steril- 

 ity, or in the case of animals of some repugnance to 

 mutual pairing. 



Independently of blending from intercrossing, the 

 complete absence, in a well-investigated region, of varie- 

 ties linking together any two closely-allied forms, is 

 probably the most important of all the criterions of their 

 specific distinctness ; and this is a somewhat different con- 

 sideration from mere constancy of character, for two 

 forms may be highly variable and yet not yield inter- 

 mediate varieties. Geographical distribution is often un- 

 consciously and sometimes consciously brought into play ; 

 so that forms living in two widely-separated areas, in 

 which most of the other inhabitants are specifically dis- 

 tinct, are themselves usually looked at as distinct ; but in 

 truth this affords no aid in distinguishing geographical 

 races from so-called good or true species. 



Xow let us apply these generally-admitted principles 

 to the races of man, viewing him in the same spirit as a 

 naturalist would any other animal. In regard to the 

 amount of difference between the races, we must make 

 some allowance for our nice powers of discrimination 

 gained by the long habit of observing ourselves. In India, 

 as Elphinstone remarks, 1 although a newly-arrived Euro- 

 pean cannot at first distinguish the various native races, 

 yet they soon appear to him extremely dissimilar; and 

 the Hindoo cannot at first perceive any difference be- 

 tween the several European nations. Even the most dis- 

 tinct races of man, with the exception of certain negro 



1 'History of India,' 1841, vol. i. p. 323. Father Ripa makes exactly 

 the same remark with respec* to the Chinese. 



