Chap. XX. COLOUK OF SKIN. 381 



hair on our heads became developed. Eschriclit^* states 

 that in the human foetus the hair on the face durino^ 

 the fifth month is longer than that on the head ; and 

 this indicates that our semi-human progenitors were not 

 furnished with long tresses, which consequently must 

 have been a late acquisition. This is likewise indicated 

 by the extraordinary difference in the length of the hair 

 in the different races; in the negro the hair forms a 

 mere curly mat ; with us it is of great length, and with 

 the American natives it not rarely reaches to the 

 ground. Some species of Semnopithecus have their 

 heads covered with moderately long hair , and this pro- 

 bably serves as an ornament and was acquired through 

 sexual selection. The same view may be extended to 

 mankind, for we know that long tresses are now and 

 were formerly much admired, as may be observed in the 

 works of almost every poet ; St. Paul says, *' if a woman 

 " have long hair, it is a glory to her ; " and we have seen 

 that in North America a chief was elected solely from 

 the leno^th of his hair. 



Colour of the Skin. — The best kind of evidence that 

 the colour of tlie skin has been modified through sexual 

 selection is wanting in the case of mankind ; for the 

 sexes do not differ in this respect, or only slightly and 

 doubtfully. On the other hand we know from many 

 facts already given that the colour of the skin is re- 

 garded by the men of all races as a highly important 

 element in their beauty ; so that it^is a character which 

 w^ould be likely to be modified through selection, as has 

 occurred in innumerable instances with the lower ani- 

 mals. It seems at first sight a monstrous supposition 

 that the jet blackness of the negro has been gained 



2» ' Ucber die Eichtung,' ibid. s. 40. 



