60 VARIETIES OF THE HUMAN SPECIES. 



the point of the nose, which is very common. But on the other hand we met 

 with hundreds of truly European faces, and many genuine Roman noses, amongst 

 them. Their eyes and teeth are good ; but the last neither so remarkably white, 

 nor so well set, as is often found amongst Indian nations."* The general com- 

 plexion is " a cast deeper than the copper-brown," although many have a true 

 olive tint, and others, especially among the women, are comparatively fair. 



The inhabitants of Tongataboo and the adjacent islands, are warlike, vindic- 

 tive and superstitious, and even indulge in occasional cannibalism, which they are 

 said to have learned from the Fegee islanders. They maintain the institution of 

 castes to a degree not surpassed by the Hindoos ; for they extend it even to their 

 gods, whom they divide into six different classes.f 



The people of the Society Islands, together with those of the groups called 

 the Georgian, Austral, and Harvey's Islands, are generally less muscular than the 

 Sandwich islanders, whom, in other respects, they closely resemble. They are 

 well formed, and often beautifully proportioned, and possess an uncommon share 

 both of activity and gracefulness. Their countenance is open, and the facial 

 angle is often as good as in the European. The eyes are black, bright and full 5 

 the lips rather tumid, the teeth remarkably good, and the nose rectilinear or 

 aquiline. The whole face is round or oval, ''ivithout any resemblance to the 

 angular form of the Tartar msage^'X Their hair is long and black, generally 

 straight, but often curly, and sometimes frizzled. " The prevailing color of the 

 natives is an olive, a bronze or a reddish-brown — equally removed from the jet 

 black of the African and the Asiatic, the yellow of the Malay, and the red or 

 copper color of the aboriginal American." Yet the color of the people of some of 

 these islands, and especially in the Harvey and Austral islands, is as fair as that of 

 the inhabitants of some parts of southern Europe. 



Forster has given a graphic description of the people of Tahiti. Their 

 complexion is white tinctured with brownish yellow, from which there is every 

 tint to a swarthy hue. The shape of the face is more round than oval, and the 

 features very symmetrical and often beautiful. Their hands and fingers are 

 delicately formed, but their feet are disproportionately large. Like the other 



* Cook's Last Voyage, T, p. 380. 



t Marriner, Tonga Islands, p. 330.--It is worthy of remark that among the Tonga people, 

 children acquire their rank hij inheritance from the mother's side, Marriner, p. 325. Such also 

 was the custom of the Natchez of Florida. 



J Ellis, Polynes. Res. II, p. 17. 



