THE WORLD'S PEOPLES.
The World's Peoples. By A. H. Keane, LL.D. (Hutchinson and Co. (is. net.)—Dr. Keane's theory of the origin of mankind admits of being very briefly stated. The common ancestor may be assigned as to time to the Pliocene period. Ho was the Pit hecus erectus, his "poor relations" being the gorilla and the chimpanzee, and he had a cranial capacity which may be estimated at 1,000, as compared with the 1,250 of the Low Races and the 1,500 of the European. He may be located in Java. From him came in the Pleistocene period four varieties in four several zones. After this introduction, on which we shall not comment further than to say that it affords a convenient scheme for the arrangement of Dr. Keane's great ethnographical and anthropo- logical knowledge, we proceed to the "General Survey." First comes the " black " variety, divided into Oceanic and African negroes and negritoes. The " yellow " follows, and after this come the red and the white, each with comprehensive sub- divisions. But this outline gives but a very imperfect idea of Dr. Keane's work. It is in the wealth of detail that its value lies. He has brought together in it a vast amount of carefully selected materials, and these are richly illustrated by a most instructive collection of photographs. It is something like an education in anthropology to go through these with the text. They mutually explain each other, though they sometimes inspire at least a temporary doubt as to the integrity of the divisions. It is difficult to believe that the Tarasco pictured on p. 272 is not more akin to the Caucasian than he is to some of his " red " relatives.
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