THE RACES OF MAN. 171 



man, and if of a cautious disposition, he will end by uniting all 

 the forms which graduate into each other, under a single species; 

 for he will say to himself that he has no right to give names to 

 objects which he cannot define. Cases of this kind occur in the 

 Order which includes man, namely in certain genera of monkeys; 

 whilst in other genera, as in Cercopithecus, most of the species 

 can be determined with certainty. In the American genus Cebus, 

 the various forms are ranked by some naturalists as species, by 

 others as mere geographical races. Now if numerous specimens 

 of Cebus were collected from all parts of South America, and 

 those forms which at present appear to be specifically distinct, 

 were found to graduate into each other by close steps, they 

 would usually be ranked as mere varieties or races; and this 

 course has been followed by most naturalists with respect to the 

 races of man. Nevertheless, it must be confessed that there are 

 forms, at least in the vegetable kingdom,*" which we cannot avoid 

 naming as species, but which are connected together by num- 

 berless gradations, independently of intercrossing. 



Some naturalists have lately employed the term "sub-species" 

 to designate forms which possess many of the characteristics of 

 true species, but which hardly deserve so high a rank. Now if 

 we reflect on the weighty arguments above given, for raising the 

 races of man to the dignity of species, and the insuperable diffi- 

 culties on the other side in defining them, it seems that the term 

 "sub-species" might here be used with propriety. But from 

 long habit the term "race" will perhaps always be employed. 

 The choice of terms is only so far important in that it is desirable 

 to use, as far as possible, the same terms for the same degrees cf 

 difference. Unfortunately this can rarely be done: for the larger 

 genera generally include closely-allied forms, which can be dis- 

 tinguished only with much diflBculty, whilst the smaller genera 

 within the same family include forms that are perfectly distinct; 

 yet all must be ranked equally as species. So again, species 

 within the same large genus by no means resemble each other to 

 the same degree: on the contrary, some of them can generally 

 be arranged in little groups round other species like satellites 

 round planets.^" 



The question whether mankind consists of one or several spe- 

 cies has of late years been much discussed by anthropologists, 

 who are divided into the two schools of monogenists and poly- 

 genists. Those who do not admit the principle of evolution, must 



i» Prof. Nageli has carefully described several striking cases in his 

 'Botanische Mittheilungen,' B. ii. 1861J, s. 294-369. Prof. Asa Gray has 

 made analogous remarks on some intermediate forms in the Com- 

 positae of N. America. 



2» Origin of Species,' 5th edit. p. G8. 



