The Descent of Man

dians, and Europeans; and judging from the
vegetable kingdom, such triple crosses afford
the severest test of the mutual fertility of the
parent forms. In one island of the Pacific he
would find a small population of mingled Polynesian
and English blood; and in the Fiji Archipelago
a population of Polynesian and Negritos
crossed in all degrees. Many analogous
cases could be added; for instance, in Africa.
Hence the races of man are not sufficiently distinct
to inhabit the same country without fusion;
and the absence of fusion affords the
usual and best test of specific distinctness.
Our naturalist would likewise be much disturbed
as soon as he perceived that the distinctive
characters of all the races were highly variable.
This fact strikes every one on first beholding
the negro slaves in Brazil, who have been imported
from all parts of Africa. The same remark
holds good with the Polynesians, and
with many other races. It may be doubted