The Descent of Man

of man as distinct species, and then the arguments
on the other side. If a naturalist, who had
never before seen a Negro, Hottentot, Australian,
or Mongolian, were to compare them, he
would at once perceive that they differed in a
multitude of characters, some of slight and some
of considerable importance. On enquiry he
would find that they were adapted to live under
widely different climates, and that they
differed somewhat in bodily constitution and
mental disposition. If he were then told that
hundreds of similar specimens could be
brought from the same countries, he would
assuredly declare that they were as good species
as many to which he had been in the habit
of affixing specific names. This conclusion
would be greatly strengthened as soon as he
had ascertained that these forms had all retained
the same character for many centuries; and
that negroes, apparently identical with existing
negroes, had lived at least 4000 years ago. (5.
With respect to the figures in the famous Egyp-