1 68 The Descent of Man. Part I. 



struck with the contrast between the taciturn, even morose, 

 aborigines of S America and the light-hearted, talkative negroes. 

 There is a nearly similar contrast between the Malays and tho 

 Papuans, 4 who live under the same physical conditions, and are 

 separated from each other only by a narrow space of sea. 



We will first consider the arguments which may be advanced 

 in favour of classing the races of man as distinct species, and 

 then the arguments on the other side. If a naturalist, who had 

 never before seen a Negro, Hottentot, Australian, or Mongolian, 

 were to compare them, he would at once perceive that they 

 differed in a multitude of characters, some of slight and some of 

 considerable importance. On enquiry he would find that they 

 were adapted to live under widely different climates, and that 

 they differed somewhat in bodily constitution and mental dis- 

 position. If he were then told that hundreds of similar specimens 

 could be brought from the same countries, he would assuredly 

 declare that they were as good species as many to which he had 

 been in the habit of affixiug specific names. This conclusion 

 would be greatly strengthened as soon as he had ascertained that 

 these forms had all retained the same character for many 

 centuries ; and that negroes, apparently identical with existing 

 negroes, had lived at least 4000 years ago. 5 He would also hear, 

 on the authority of an excellent observer, Dr. Lund, 6 that the 

 human skulls found in the caves of Brazil, entombed with many 

 extinct mammals, belonged to the same type as that now pre- 

 vailing throughout the American Continent. 



4 Wallace, 'The Malay Archi- man (' Races of Man,' 1850, p. 201), 

 pelago,' vol. ii. 1869, p. 178. speaking of young Memnon (the 



5 With respect to the figures in same as Rameses II., as I am in- 

 the famous Egyptian caves of Abou- formed by Mr. Birch), insists in the 

 Simbel, M. Pouchet says (' Tho strongest manner that he is identical 

 Plurality of the Human Races,' Eng. in character with the Jews of Ant- 

 ti'anslat. 1864, p. 50), that he was werp. Again, when I looked at the 

 far from finding recognisable repre- statue of Amunoph 111., I agreed with 

 sentations of the dozen or more two officers of the establishment, 

 nations which some authors believe both competent judges, that he had 

 that they can recognise. Even some a strongly marked negro tvpe of 

 of the most strongly-marked races features ; but Messrs. Nott and 

 cannot be identified with that de- Gliddon (ibid. p. 146, fig. 53) de- 

 gree of unanimity which might have scribe him as a hybrid, but not of 

 been expected from what has been " negro intermixture." 



written on the subject. Thus H As quoted by Nott and Gliddon, 



Messrs. Nott and Gliddon ('Types 'Types of Mankind,' 1854, p. 439. 



of Mankind,' p. 148) state that They give also corroborative evi- 



Rameses II., or the Great, has dence ; but C. Vcgt thinks that the 



features superbly European ; where- subject requires further investiga< 



as KnciX, another firm believer in tion. 

 the specific distinctness of the races cf 



