n the way of distinction than exists between Englishmen and Danes, for
instance, or between Norwegians and Swedes. Indeed, it may be said that
much of the confusion and absurdity of classification found in
ethnographic literature may be traced to a tendency to see diversities
where few or none exist. To the observant man of travel who has given
the matter any attention, it seems that the most sensible classification
is that of the ancient writers who divide humanity into three races,
namely, white, yellow, and black. Cuvier adopted this division, and the
best contemporary British authority, Dr. Latham, also makes three
groups, although he varies somewhat in details from Cuvier. In
accordance with the nomenclature of Latham, the Eskimo may be spoken of
as Hyperborean Mongolidae of essentially carnivorous and ichthyophagous
habits, who have not yet emerged from the hunting and fishing stage.

PHYSICAL PECULIARITIES.

Their physical appearance and structure having been already described by
others, it is unnecessary to mention them here, except incidentally and
by way of noting a few peculiarities that seem to have been heretofore
overlooked or slightly touched upon by other writers. Although as a rule
they are of short build, averaging about five feet seven inches, yet
occasional exceptions were met with among the natives of Kotzebue sound,
many of whom are tall and of commanding appearance. At Cape Kruzenstern
a man was seen who measured six feet six inches in height. This
divergence from the conventional Eskimo type, as usually described in
the books, may have been caused by inter-marriage with an inland tribe
of larger men from the interior of Alaska, who come to the coast every
summer for purposes of trade.

The complexion, rarely a true white, but rather that of a Chinaman, with
a healthy blush suffusing each cheek, is often of a brownish-yellow and
sometimes quite black, as I have seen in several instances at Tapkan,
Siberia. Nor is the broad and flat face and small nose without
exception. In the vicinity of East cape, the easternmost extremity of
Asia, a few Eskimo were seen having distinctive Hebrew noses and a
physiognomy of such a Jewish type as to excite the attention and comment
of the sailors composing our crew; others were noticed having a Milesian
cast of features and looked like Irishmen, while others resembled
several old mulatto men I know in Washington. However, the Mongoloid
type in these people was