S86 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



to India; how among other nations the Arab and 

 Indoo Arab formed the principal basis of the Ethio- 

 pian stem, till the whole of the original nations, as 

 Egyptians, Cushites, and Habesh, notwithstanding 

 that more northern, and even fair haired tribes were 

 merged in them, were finally driven across the Red 

 Sea into Africa. 



Thus we have noticed how Caucasian characteristics 

 deepen into Papua Negroes in proportion to their 

 intermixture towards the tropics, or brighten as they 

 pass on to the border of this first distribution ; for on 

 the line of contact, the conquering race has nearly 

 retained its whole integrity, whilst on the north of 

 that line, a melanic shade in the skin, with very dark 

 eyes, and black curly hair, leaves in the first, and per- 

 haps oldest civilized nations, an evidence of some pol- 

 lution with their vanquished slaves, and makes the 

 question of local hybridism incontestible ; for not- 

 withstanding the distinction drawn by the nations 

 themselves, the facts remain unaltered. And we shall 

 now proceed to notice a second wave of more pure 

 Caucasian Arabians, who left but slender record of 

 their predecessors, and became united with the re- 

 jected descendants of the family of Heber. They 

 appear to have been herdsmen of the southern desert, 

 wandering with their goats and sheep, perhaps with 

 camels, onwards towards the west, beneath the Gedro- 

 ian high lands, till they crossed the Shat-ul-Arab. 



