276 PROF. T. MCKKNNY HUGHES, F.K.S., ON 



Tlie ovorerov.'ded or oppressed or liniigx-r-sniitten popula- 

 tion of the interior often pressed upon the coast and gave a 

 distinctive character to different migrations, but generally 

 it must have been largely composed of the mixed people of 

 the seaboard. 



Sometimes, as Ave should infer from observation, and as Ave 

 know from history, a larger number of one or other continental 

 locality came over together, but they Avere a mixed race 

 Avhen they started and gen(-'rally got more mixed after they 

 arrived. 



As the result of observation Ave may take it as proA'od that 

 no dark race has its origin in northern climates, and no fair 

 race has developed its characteristics in tropical regions. 

 There are of course many difficulties and Avhat may appear 

 to be exceptions to any such Avide generalizations; as, for 

 instance, the occurrence of dark nomads on the shores of 

 arctic seas, Avhom of course avc must infer Avere pushed north 

 from Avarmer climes ; or in the existence of fair pygmies in 

 Africa Avhich avc should try to explain by supposing that 

 they are the dwarfed representatives of a fair northern 

 race long ago driA'en to degeneration, Avhich is as true as 

 progressiA^e evolution ; or that the effect of their liA'ing 

 ahvays in the dark shade of tropical forests has been the 

 same as liA'ing farther north imdcr less torrid suns. Another 

 very interesting example I may mention in this comiection. 

 I once, Avhen travelling Avitli Sir Charles Lycll in the Western 

 Pyrenees, had the good fortune to see at Loiu'de a pilgrim- 

 age of Basques from the very heart of the Basque country, 

 and I noticed that the majority Avcre a square-faced people, 

 of medium or certainly not short stature, tanned it might be, 

 but not of dark complexion, eyes, or hair; people Avho from 

 their physiognomy 1 sln)uld Iuia'c said had their origin some- 

 Avhere in the Baltic regions. I Avas elscAvhere shoAvn dark 

 people Avho I Avas told Avere Basques and Avho spoke Basque, 

 but these Avere obAnously Spanish or Southern French who 

 had been somehoAv absorbed into the liasques. If Ave look 

 for the ancient race akin to the Finns Avho })copk'd Europe 

 in very early times and try to find Avhether avc Iuxa'c not a 

 remnant of these represented in the Basques, Ave should 

 exclude the marginal inixed race Avhich must inevitably 

 haA'c resulted from thousands of years of ct)ntact. In 

 Africa or India avc can at once pick out the Europeans 

 and the descendants of Europt'ans after maiiy g(>m'rations of 

 residence. So little change of a permanent kind is seen that 



