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to revert backward, just as do well-bred domestic 

 animals when left to shift for themselves. We 

 had noticed that among the Cubans, who live in 

 remote places, physical degeneracy was by no 

 means the rule. The lesser average size of the 

 people is a racial characteristic and can hardly be 

 accepted as a sign of degeneracy, a smaller stature 

 not necessarily impairing the vigor of the race. 



The proprietor of the finca, who was now to be- 

 come our host, is a dark sinister-looking man with 

 large bristling mustache. He is of the type that we 

 have conventionalized in illustration as the man 

 who broods and foments revolutions. Probably 

 our host did neither, but merely looked the part. 

 The women about the place smoked huge planta- 

 tion cigars, screamed at their children, and created 

 about them an atmosphere of perpetual turmoil 

 and fussy inefficiency. The youth of the ranch 

 exhibited marked signs of degeneracy in overly 

 large heads, mature faces, and dull perceptions. 

 As a rule, the Cuban children we met showed a 

 lively interest in our pursuits and were keen to 

 aid us in view of financial prospects ahead. They 

 measure as well in intelligence as do children of 

 similar age in any country. The little boys and 



