IV METHODS AND RESULTS OF ETHNOLOGY 237 



between the Faunae and Floras of Central and 

 Eastern Asia. But whatever the difficulties in 

 the way of the detailed application of this com- 

 parison of the distribution of men with that of 

 animals, it is well worthy of being borne in mind, 

 and carried as far as it will go. 



Apart from all speculation, a very curious fact 

 regarding the distribution of the persistent modi- 

 fications of mankind becomes apparent on inspect- 

 ing an Ethnological chart, projected in such a 

 manner that the Pacific Ocean occupies its centre. 

 Such a chart exhibits an Australian area occupied 

 by dark smooth-haired people, separated by an 

 incomplete inner zone of dark woolly -haired 

 Negritos and Negroes, from an outer zone of 

 comparatively pale and smooth-haired men, 

 occupying the Americas, and nearly all Asia l and 

 North Africa. 2 



Such is a brief sketch of the characters and 

 distribution of the persistent modifications, or 

 stocks, of mankind at the present day. If we seek 

 for direct evidence of how long this state of things 

 has lasted, we shall find little enough, and that 

 little far from satisfactory. Of the eleven different 

 stocks enumerated, seven have been known to us 

 for less than 400 years ; and of these seven not 

 one possessed a fragment of written history at the 



P Hindostan excepted. 1894.] 

 [- Egypt excep ted. 1894.] 



