40 



PHYSICAL INVESTIGATION. [PART I. 



Among the Arabs, the boys exhibit the same demure behaviour 

 as adults. 1 Little children are more intelligent than those of the 

 same age amongst us, though probably not for the reason given 

 by Brehm, 2 that they are entirely left to themselves and that 

 in their helplessness they learn early to use their physical and 

 mental powers. Negro children learn to run about much earlier 

 than the children of Europeans. 3 The children of the natives 

 of Nukahiwa swim alone in the water when they are scarcely a 

 year old ; 4 and in Tahiti they often learn earlier to swim than 

 to run. 5 R. Schomburgh equally found that the children of the 

 Zuramatas in Guiana, learn to use their physical and intellec- 

 tual powers much earlier than European children. That this 

 precocity is no peculiarity of the race is proved by its being also 

 found among the white Creoles in the West Indies, and among 

 the Brazilians. 6 In the same latitude and climate, the time of 

 puberty occurs earlier among Negros and Mongolians than 

 among Europeans ; 7 this is partly the result of mode of life, and 

 partly an inherited peculiarity which changes but slowly in the 

 course of several generations. A well-known instance of the 

 permanence of race peculiarity is afforded by the Jewish girls 

 in Central Europe. They arrive at maturity, and grow old, at 

 an earlier period than the daughters of the peoples among 

 whom they live. 



A similar influence of climate is assumed with regard to 

 fecundity. That it must be very great among the Negroes in 

 Africa, may be inferred from the enormous losses which Africa 

 has suffered (without any perceptible diminution of its popula- 

 tion) by the agency of the slave-trade. On the other hand, the 

 extinction of the aboriginal Americans has been attributed to 

 delicient fecundity of the race, a subject we shall treat of in the 

 sequel. In this place we may observe, that Quetelet 8 has some 



1 Hoskin's " Travels in Ethiopia," p. 179, 1835. 



2 " Eeiseskizzen aus Nordost Africa," i, p. 56, 1855. 



3 Des Marchais, " Voyage en Guinee," p. 282, Amst., 1731. 



4 " Wise Los Gringos," p. 138, 1850. 



5 Tyermann and Bennett, " Journal of Voyages and Travels," i, p. 360, 1831. 



6 Rendu, " Etudes sur le Bresil," p. 19, 1848. 



7 Lacepede, " Hist. Nat. de THomme," p. 109, 1839. 

 * " Ueber den Mftnsclien," p. 67, 1838. 



