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AND COCHIN CHINA. 3
persons in general are sufficiently robust and well
proportioned, being destitute, however, of the grace
and flexibility of the Hindoo form. On the other
hand, their make is lighter, less squab, and better
proportioned, than that of the Indian islanders.
Their complexion is a light, brown, perhaps a shade
lighter than that of the Malays, but many shades
darker than that of the Chinese. I t never approaches
to the black of the African negro or Hindoo.
Writers on the natural history of man, judging
from the remote analogy of plants, have been
disposed to undervalue colour as a discriminating
character of the different races. But still I am
disposed to consider it as intrinsic, obvious, and
permanent a character, as the form of the skull,
or any other which has been more relied upon.
The hair of the head is always black, lank,
coarse,1 and abundant. On every other part of
the body it is scanty, as with the Malayan and
American races; and the beard especially is so
little suited for ornament, that it is never worn,*
but on the contrary plucked out and eradicated,
according to the practice of the Indian islanders.
The head is generally well proportioned, and
well set upon the neck and shoulders, but frequently
of remarkable flatness in the occipital
part. The face differs greatly from that of the
European or Hindoo, the features never being
bold, prominent, or well defined. The nose is
small, round at the poiiit, but not flattened, as
b 2