rendered
sj Vos docti Albani omnej, —
Vos exércitus peritorum, flavo-comatorum.*
This is said to have been addressed' to the Highlanders at the
court of Malcolm III., a . » . 1057. Thère seemsjro be a constant
tradition that the ancient Gael were a- fair-haired' race.
According to the old legends which contain* the *story of the
Firbolg kings, one of them was named Fiacha Cinnfkmnan.
Cinnfionnan m e a n s “ White heads and the former, as
Keating Says, had this designation, because most of the Irish
of his time were remarkable foretbeir white or fair hâ,iÿ|||
If the Scots of king Malcolm’s* time were a yellow-hàired racé,
they have forfeited that description, like their countrymeri'the
Caledonians, .and like the Germans and Gauls of the continent.
The présent Highlanders are by no means generally a xanthouS
p®»ple. In particular districts and in sgrrie valleys dn |thh
Highlands it is noted that most of the inhabitants- havê red.
hair, but this is only in limited tracts, wheref.hOwever,' there-is
nothing indicative of foreign colonisation. The prevalent
characters in a great part of thé Western Highlands; are
rather dark brown hair, uncurled, with a complexion not very
fair, but with grey eyes. A man with coal-black and Curled
hair and black eyes looks singular in a groupe of thc-'generàl
complexion ; and in places where this variation is frequent the
opposite variety also occurs, viz. a fair skin with red or yellow
hair. This at least I believe to be the case ; and I compare
the fact with one which has been mentioned to me by ag en -
tleman of extensive observation in Subjects connected with
natural h i s t o r y t h a t on heaths and downs where wild raB-
bits are numerous they are often seen all to .be of an uniform
grey colour, but that where one variety displays itself, as
where black rabbits are seen intermixed with the grey, there
are generally others of a yeliow colour.
In different parts of England considerable varieties of complexion
may be noted, but they are not referrible to particular
races. In Cumberland, where the population is supposed to be
* See Dr. O’Connor, Rerum Hibernkar. Scriptores, Prolegom. 124.
+ See Keating’s Hist, of Ireland, translated, p. 40.
$ Mr. Standard of Taunton.
jhferèat p a^P éltï^th é women Sxeremarked as particularly fair
and ligbt-.|dir« -In^North Wdlfesm fair complexion and blue
f e s ^revhilojai^ordm^'fo the obsef^atioiiboth of Df. Muceul-
S|ls-h.and off j^lfil Priétlffl^Tlfj^rë*is piobaBly-ho partr-of Britain
f.anl'sjare|le|sAittermixed with Saxon, or German
iËbód ~ éêrlai^ll'r&e'P^^nuéh S s féain^scibthan the South
iWfelsh. I u l ^ M l F ^ ^ h 'Wale!!parfiltil'arly'in Glamorgan,
and in Mdhmöulhshire, bfeck Wy^èevalent, and the
haitf ïs^Êe^Wéitly bilackf Ih.^^lh^lg^l^furfehéf fb' the: north-
V e k jg j Herefo^Sfi^^B^ W & ^ té r, light hsair ah,fjblt#êps
arqpft^lènfk It ha^beciioWsc’ned, and'
that in cities an4 tó|^^*th(^,ï^omrp1p.xion o^^he in habitants and
anf l
mdre^T^^ua^t’ly’ bl-a&k than in Jt'll#4ülrouédirï|^dl^t^è|®^^-j
c ia ll;|^h ;eif are1
Oii(‘ factjseems tq ^ f c tr te certainlesóectin^f h f I
^Èc^'tüV.üt th fVmtèh'the' Britiki1 lHhMdV,'jTi'^. that i^i^&greatly
B j ^ d 1 from fhat ^ j f e w " ‘° l^ ipal trÉ ^ J j l
ha\*^omtï^OiiiVitu^4 th p p q ^ ftio ri. hi^.seenfhat
tlie knfcieht ‘CglU^vtTipes^lvere’ a ^anth’qu^srjife;'; s^sh lik’è-J
l'Vv ise Yv;eré the 'Sa^dti1?, Danes, and ’^^rrriïm^ j the Cal^loifia^^j
kl'so a i f f i u f è a ' n d 1 %
mixed desddffdMiisj;of all f hesë bl!üe-eyéd trib esllH t^ ^ very 1
difficult in such ah inquiry5 reg i me heaffto the tru ^m fio r-
tion | b b f I 'should have" littlefdlbsi ^concluding that I
o l ten plrabnsmdv^ li^j|'g|m Britain have dark hair,
and p f them a considerable fiart,
Was there anything peculiaffin' tbe''cbnforhlaüon öf- the I
head in the British and GauliifrêracéS'1 I d « ^® remember
that any peculiarity of fêathVës^has beëii> óbsér J d '‘.|iy Roman
writëVs in either Gauls or Britohs'. There^ are probably in
existence sufficiënt meanS’fol ilqbilimglhis inquiry in thelskulls
found in old British cairns or P1M ^ f C hePultui' | l 1 have
seen about half a dpzèri skulls föühd ih different parts of’’England
in situations which rendered it highly probable that thêyj
* Mr. Pricehas made this remark, which agrees with my own impression. I cannot
persuade myself, that it is owing to the cause with which he connects it, viz. the
use of coal-fires. The inhabitants of some coal districts have appeared to me to be
quite as fair and as frequently xanthous as thqse of any other parts of England.