74 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



horfes and of black cattle, double the fize the one 

 of the other, as any one may be convinced, by 

 comparing the large artillery horfes of Holftein, 

 with the fmall poneys of Sardinia, no taller than 

 fheep; and the huge Flanders ox with the dimi- 

 nutive one of Bengal ,• but from the talleft to the 

 fhorteft of the human race, there is not, at moft, 

 the difference of a foot. Their ftature is the fame, 

 at this day, as it was in the time of the Egyptians ; 

 and the fame at Archangel as in Africa, as is evi- 

 dent from the length of mummies, and that of the 

 tombs of the ancient Indians, found in Siberia, 

 along the banks of the river Petzora, 



The fomewhat contraded ftature of the Lap- 

 landers is to be imputed, I prefume, to their fe- 

 dentary mode of living; for I have obferved, 

 among ourfelves, a fimilar contraction of fize in 

 perfons of certain occupations, which require little 

 exercife. That of the Patagonians, on the con- 

 trary, is more expanded than that of the Lapland- 

 ers, though they inhabit a latitude as cold, from 

 their greater difpofition to be moving about. The 

 Laplander pafles the greater part of the year (hue 

 up amidft his herds of rein-deer ; whereas the Pata- 

 gonian is perpetually a ftroller, for he lives entirely 

 by hunting and lifliing. Befides, the firft travel- 

 lers to whom we are indebted for our knowledge 

 of thefe two nations^ have greatly exaggerated the 



fmallnefs 



