PHYSICAL CHARACTER. 
79 
by those who present in their physical character 
many points of resemblance to the Malays and 
South Americans, but yet differ materially from 
either, and seem to form an intermediate race. 
Although, with very few exceptions, all the in¬ 
habitants of these islands, to which the designation 
of Polynesia is given, exhibit the leading marks 
of the tribe to which they belong, the people of 
each cluster are distinguished by some minor pecu¬ 
liarities. The following description refers to the 
inhabitants of the Georgian, Society, and adjacent 
islands, which, for the sake of brevity, are desig¬ 
nated Tahitians, or Society Islanders. 
The Tahitians are generally above the middle 
stature ; but their limbs are less muscular and firm 
than those of the Sandwich Islanders, whom in 
many respects they resemble. They are, at the 
same time, more robust than the Marquesans, who 
are the most light and agile of the inhabitants of 
Eastern Polynesia. In size and physical power 
they are inferior to the New Zealanders, and pro¬ 
bably resemble in person the Friendly Islanders, 
as much as any others in the Pacific ; exhibiting, 
however, neither the gravity of the latter, nor the 
vivacity of the Marquesans. Their limbs are well 
formed, and although, where corpulency prevails, 
there is a degree of sluggishness, they are gene¬ 
rally active in their movements, graceful and stately 
in their gait, and perfectly unembarrassed in their 
address. Those who reside in the interior, or fre¬ 
quently visit the mountainous parts of the islands, 
form an exception to this remark. The constant 
use of the naked feet in climbing the steep sides 
of the rocks, or the narrow defiles of the ravines, 
probably induces them to turn their toes inwards, 
which renders their gait exceedingly awkward. 
