The African races descended from the Ethiopians are on the whole a handsome rather than an ugly people; their figure is slender and well shaped; their features are regular, and have some delicacy; the forehead is straight and fairly high; the nose long, straight, and fine, but scarcely so prominent as that of Europeans; the chin is pointed and good.

[PLATE VI., Fig.

2.] The principal defect is in the mouth, which has lips too thick and full for beauty, though they are not turned out like a negro's.

We do not possess any representations of the ancient people which can be distinctly assigned to the early Cushite period.

Abundant hair has been noticed in an early tomb; and this in the later Babylonians, who must have been descended in great part from the earlier, was very conspicuous; but otherwise we have as yet no direct evidence with respect to the physical characteristics of the primitive race.