i 



The Descent of Man" 125 



The final section of this chapter deals with the formation of the 

 races of mankind. Darwin discusses the question how far the direct 

 eifect of different conditions of life, or the inherited effects of in- 

 creased use or disuse may have brought about the characteristic 

 differences between the different races. Even in regard to the origin 

 of the colour of the skin he rejects the transmitted effects of an 

 original difference of climate as an explanation. In so doing he is 

 following his tendency to exclude Lamarckian explanations as far as 

 possible. But here he makes gratuitous difficulties from which, since 

 natural selection fails, there is no escape except by bringing in the 

 principle of sexual selection, to which, he regarded it as possible, 

 skin-colouring, arrangement of hair, and form of features might 

 be traced. But with his characteristic conscientiousness he guards 

 himself thus : " I do not intend to assert that sexual selection will 

 account for all the differences between the races 1 ." 



I may be permitted a remark as to Darwin's attitude towards 

 Lamarck. While, at an earlier stage, when he was engaged in the 

 preliminary labours for his immortal work, The Origin of Species, 

 Darwin expresses himself very forcibly against the views of Lamarck, 

 speaking of Lamarckian "nonsense 2 ," and of Lamarck's "absurd, 

 though clever work 3 " and expressly declaring, "I attribute very 

 little to the direct action of climate, etc. 4 " yet in later life he 

 became more and more convinced of the influence of external con- 

 ditions. In 1876, that is, two years after the appearance of the 

 second edition of The Descent of Man, he writes with his usual 

 candid honesty : " In my opinion the greatest error which I have 

 committed, has been not allowing sufficient weight to the direct 

 action of the environment, i.e. food, climate, etc. independently of 

 natural selection 5 ." It is certain from this change of opinion that, 

 if he had been able to make up his mind to issue a third edition of 

 The Descent of Man, he would have ascribed a much greater in- 

 fluence to the effect of external conditions in explaining the different 

 characters of the races of man than he did in the second edition. 

 He would also undoubtedly have attributed less influence to sexual 

 selection as a factor in the origin of the different bodily characteristics, 

 if indeed he would not have excluded it altogether. 



In Part III of the Descent two additional chapters are devoted to 

 the discussion of sexual selection in relation to man. These may be 

 very briefly referred to. Darwin here seeks to show that sexual 

 selection has been operative on man and his primitive progenitor. 

 Space fails me to follow out his interesting arguments. I can only 

 mention that he is inclined to trace back hairlessness, the development 



1 Descent of Man, p. 308. 2 Life and Letters, Vol. n. p. 23. 



3 Loc. cit. p. 39. 4 Loc. cit. (1856), p. 82. 5 Ibid. Vol. in. p. 159. 



