VARIETIES OF THE PAPUAN RACE. 77 



sidered by Prichard to be merely various tribes of 

 the Malayo-Poljmesian race retaining their unci- 

 vilized and primitive state. Be this as it may^ of 

 these Harfours D'Urville states, that they reminded 

 him of the ordinary type of the Australians, New 

 Caledonians, and the black race of Oceania, from 

 theu" sooty colour, coarse but not woolly hair, thick 

 beards, and habit of scarifying' the body. I men- 

 tion these Harfours for the purpose of stating- that 

 no people answering- to the description of them given 

 above were seen by us in New Guinea or the 

 Louisiade Archipelago. 



It appears to me that there are two distinct va- 

 rieties of the Papuan race inhabiting the south-east 

 portion of New Guinea. The first occupies the 

 western shores of the Great Bight, and probably ex- 

 tends over the whole of the adjacent country, along 

 the banks of Aird River, and the other great fresh- 

 water channels. Judging from the Httle that was seen 

 of them during the voyage of the Fly, these people 

 appear to agree with the Torres Strait Islanders — 

 an offshoot, there is reason to believe, of the same 

 stock — in being a dark and savage race, the males 

 of which go entirely naked. 



The second variety occupies the remainder of the 

 south-east coast of New Guinea and the Louisiade 

 Archipelago. Their characteristics have already been 

 given in this work, as seen at intermediate points be- 

 tween Cape Possession and Coral Haven ; they agree 

 in being a lighter coloured people than the preceding, 



