MAN. 353 



descendants of mixed breed would be unfruitful : but whether 

 the existing races of men are descended from one or from 

 several primitive men is a question not determinable by 

 experience/' ( 438 ) 



Mankind are therefore distributed in varieties, which we 

 are often accustomed to designate by the somewhat vague 

 appellation of " races" As in the vegetable kingdom, and in 

 the natural history of birds and fishes, an arrangement into 

 many small families proceeds on surer grounds than one 

 which unites them into a few sections embracing large 

 masses ; so also, in the determination of races, it appears 

 to me preferable to establish smaller families of nations. 

 In the opposite mode of proceeding, whether we adopt the 

 old classification of my master, Blumenbach, into five races 

 (Caucasian, Mongolian, American, Ethiopian, and Malay), or 

 that of Prichard into seven races ( 439 ) (Iraunian, Tura- 

 nian, American, Hottentots and Bushmen, Negroes, Papuas, 

 and Alfourous), it is impossible to recognise in the groups 

 thus formed any true typical distinction, any general and con- 

 sistent natural principle. The extremes in colour and form 

 are separated indeed, but without regard to nations which 

 cannot be made to arrange themselves under any of the 

 above-named classes, and which have sometimes been called 

 Scythian, and sometimes Allophyllic races. Iraunian is 

 indeed a less objectionable name for the European nations 

 than Caucasian ; but it may be affirmed generally, that geo- 

 graphical denominations, designed to mark the points of 

 departure of races, are exceedingly vague and undetermined, 

 especially when the place which is to give its name to the 

 race has been inhabited at different epochs ( 44 ) by very 



