438 LBCTUflE XV. 



diseases ;■ that they are bad wet nurses and frequently miscarry ; 

 that their children die young, and that the Mulattoes are less 

 fertile inter se than with their parent stocks. But Nott found 

 subsequently that these inferences, though correct as regards 

 South Carolina, did not apply to Louisiana and the banks of 

 the Mississippi ; hence he concluded that the Latin races of 

 Europe produced with the Negro race mongrels more viable 

 than the Anglo-Saxons. This fact seems also to have been 

 established as regards Jamaica, colonised by the English, for 

 the Mulattoes do not seem to thrive there, whilst on the 

 islands colonised by the French, Spaniards, and Portuguese 

 the Mulattoes show the same vitality as in Louisiana. At- 

 tempts have been made to explain these differences from local 

 influences, but it would be very strange if the English should, 

 by mere chance, have chosen such spots as are destructive to 

 Mulattoes, whilst the Latin races should have selected those 

 districts which are favourable to their development. 



It may happen, that in the intermixture of certain races, the 

 prolificacy is increased in the same degree as in the inbreeding 

 of half- and three-eighth hares. Hombron, cited by Quatre- 

 fages, observes on this point : "During the four years which 

 I passed in Brazil, Peru, and Chile, I amused myself with 

 observing the curious intermixtures of Negroes with the 

 natives. I have even noted down the number of children in 

 many households, of "Whites with Negresses, Whites and 

 American women, Negroes with American natives, and Negroes 

 inter se. In our colonies the Whites are only raoderately 

 prolific with Negresses ; they are, however, very prolific with 

 Mulatto women, and so are Mulattoes inter se. I can afiirm that 

 the marriages between European men and American women 

 furnish the greatest average number of children ; then come 

 Negro and Negress ; then Negro and American female. The 

 scanty fertility of Americans between themselves depends 

 probably on the moderate development of their sexual in- 

 stinct." The latter reason, by the way, means as much as if 

 we were to say that the reason why the Arabs drink so little is 

 that they feel but little thirst. The intercourse of the Latin 

 race with the Indian seems to be remarkably fertile ; for the 



