SECONDARY SEXUAL GUARACTERS, 67t 



craft, they would have beeti glad to seize on any woman, 

 and would not have selected the more attractive ones. But 

 as Soon as the practice of procuring wives from a distinct 

 tribe was effected through barter, as now occurs in many 

 pUices, the more attractive women would generally have 

 been purchased. The incessant crossing, however, between 

 tribe and tribe, which necessarily follows from any form of 

 this habit, would tend to keep all the people inhabiting the 

 same country nearly uniform in character; and this would 

 interfere with the power of sexual selection in differentiat- 

 ing the tribes. 



The scarcity of women, consequent on female infanti- 

 cide, leads, also, to another practice, that of polyandry, 

 still common in several parts of the world, and which 

 formerly, as Mr. McLennan believes, prevailed almost uni- 

 versfilly; but this latter conclusion is doubted by Mr. 

 Morgan and Sir J. Lubbock.* Whenever two or more men 

 are compelled to marry one women it is certain that all the 

 women of the tribe will get married, and there will be no 

 selection by the men of the more attractive women. But, 

 under these circumstances, the women no doubt will have 

 the power of choice, and will prefer the more attractive 

 men. Azara, for instance, describes how carefully a Guana 

 woman bargains for all sorts of privileges before accepting 

 some one or more husbands; and the men in consequence 

 take unusual care of their personal appearance. So among 

 the Todas of India, who practice polyandry, the girls can 

 accept or refuse any man.f A very ugly man in these 

 cases would, perhaj^s, altogether fail in getting a wife, 

 or get one later in life ; but the handsomer men, 

 although more successful in obtaining wives, would not, 

 as far as we can see, leave more offspring to inherit 

 their beauty than the less handsome husbands of the same 

 women. 



Early Betrothals and Slavery of Women. With many 

 savages it is the custom to betroth the females while mere 

 infants ; and this would effectually prevent preference 



* " Primitive Marriage," p. 208; Sir J. Lubbock, " Origin of Civili- 

 zation," p. 100. See also Mr. Morgan, loc. cit., on the former preva- 

 lence of polyandry. 



f Azara, "Voyages," etc., tom. ii, pp. 92-95, Colonel Marshall 

 " Among the Todas," p. 212. 



