194 SUPPLEMENTAL HISTORY OP MAN. 



The people of Otaheite, and the Society isles, 

 are the handsomest of the South Seas. The com- 

 plexion of the higher orders is described as white, 

 tinctured with a brownish yellow ; and, in some of 

 the women a blush is clearly distinguishable in the 

 cheek. From this, we find among the lower orders 

 all the intermediate hues down to the deepest 

 brown ; black is the usual colour of the hair, and 

 of a fine texture, but brown, red, and flaxen hair 

 has been observed among them ; they are of the 

 largest size of Europeans, and well-made ; their 

 features are good in general, but the nose is usually 

 somewhat flattish ; corpulence is common among 

 them; their language is more harmonious, and their 

 manners more refined than those of any other of 

 the South Sea islanders. The opposite profile of 

 an aged chief of this island is eminently remarkable 

 for its manly beauty. 



The people of. the Marquesas are considered the 

 finest in the Southern Ocean ; and in form are, per- 

 haps, the finest in the world; their average stature 

 is from five feet ten to six feet. The practice of 

 tattooing makes the men appear .dark, but the 

 women and children are very fair ; their hair, like 

 ours, is of various colours, but red is not found 

 among them. 



It is said that the Otaheitan skull approximates 

 to the Negro, while the colour so widely differs ; 

 on the contrary, the natives of the Friendly islands, 

 thoueh verv dark in colour, have more of the Euro- 

 pean cast of head and features. 



