Chap. VII. Tlie Extinction of Racjs. 191 



the males and females being in exactly equal numbers, Wbat a 

 contrast does this case present with that of the Tasmanians ; 

 the Norfolk Islanders iucnianed in only twelve and a half years 

 from 194 to 300; whereas the Tasmanians decreased during 

 fifteen years from 120 to 46, of which latter number only ten 

 were children.*' 



So again in the interval between the census of 1866 and 1872 

 the natives of full blood in the Sandwich Islands decreased by 

 8081, whilst the half-castes, who are believed to be healthier, in- 

 creased by 847 ; but I do not know whether the latter number 

 includes the offspring from the half-castes, or only the half-castes 

 of the first generation. 



The cases which I have here given all relate to aborigines, 

 who have been subjected to new conditions as the result of the 

 immigration of civilised men. But sterility and ill-health would 

 probably follow, if savages were compelled by any cause, such 

 as the inroad of a conquering tribe, to desert their homes and 

 to change their habits. It is an interesting circumstance that 

 the chief check to wild animals becoming domesticated, which 

 implies the power of their breeding freely when first captured, 

 and one chief check to wild men, when brought into contact 

 with civilisation, surviving to form a civilised race, is the same, 

 namely, sterility from changed conditions of life. 



Finally, although the gradual decrease and ultimate extinction 

 of the races of man is a highly complex problem, depending on 

 many causes which differ in different places and at different 

 times; it is the same problem as that presented by the extinc- 

 tion of one of the higher animals— of the fossil horse, for in- 

 stance, which disappeared from South America, soon afterwards 

 to be replaced, within the same districts, by countless troops 

 of the Spanish horse. The New Zealander seems conscious of 

 this parallelism, for he compares his future fate with that of 

 the native rat now almost exterminated by the European rat. 

 Though the difficulty is great to our imagination, and really 

 great, if we wish to ascertain the precise causes and their 

 manner of action, it ought not to be so to our reason, as long as 

 we keep steadily in mind that the increase of each species and 

 each race is constantly checked in various ways ; so that if any 

 new check, even a slight one, be superadded, the race will STirely 

 decrease in number; and decreasing numbers will sooner or 



" These details are taken from May 29th, 1863. The foUow.cig 



The Mutineers of the " Bounty," ' statements about the Sandwich Is- 



oy Lady Belcher, 1870; and from landers are from the 'Honolulu 



Hitciiirn Lsland,' ordered to be Gazette,' and from Mr. Ciian. 



printed by the House of CommoDSy 



