distinct types; one very much akin to the Spanish race, having a
Spaniard's dark hair, dark eyes, and sallow complexion, and often very
good-looking. The other type is entirely different, fair-haired,
light-eyed, and of no particular beauty. In Limburg, the most southern
province of the Netherlands, one finds a mixture of the German, Flemish,
and Dutch types, and the language there is a dialect formed from all those
three tongues, while in the most northern province, Groningen, the people
speak a dialect resembling that spoken in Overyssel and Gelderland, and
the Frisians, their neighbours, would feel themselves quite strangers in
the last named provinces, and would not even be able to make themselves
understood when speaking in their usual language. In the Betuwe the
dialect spoken differs from that in the Veluwe, but no distinct line can
be drawn to determine where one dialect begins and the other ends.

In their mode of dressing, too, there is a great difference between the
people of one province and of another, and in Zeeland every island has
its own special costume. Just as they differ in dress, so they also differ
in appearance and education, wealth, and civilization.

A North Holland farmer is well-to-do and independent. For centuries he has
battled and disputed every inch of his land with the sea, and it has been
pointed out by observant people that the effects of the strife are still
marked in his harsh and rugged features and independent ways. It is well
known that his cattle are the best in all the country, for the pastures,
by reason of the damp polder ground, are very rich, and yield year out
year in an abundant crop of grass and hay, the cows he keeps for milking
purposes giving from 20 to 30 litres, or from 45 to 70 pints, of milk a
day, which is a very high yield.

[Illustration: Zeeland Costume.]