220 THE EEGULATION OF NUMBEES 



the poor classes than the rich '.^ Speaking of the Murray Islands 

 Hunt says that ' after a certain number had been born, all succeed- 

 ing children were destroyed, lest the food supply should become 

 deficient '.^ Codrington says of the Melanesians that ' abortion 

 and infanticide were very common. If a woman did not want the 

 trouble of bringing up a child, desired to appear young, was afraid 

 the husband might think the birth before its time, or wished to 

 spite her husband, she would find some one to procure abortion. . . . 



Infanticide was more prevalent in some islands than others The 



old women of the village generally determined whether a new-born 

 child should live ; if not promising in appearance or likely to be 

 troublesome, it was made away with.' ^ Among the Mafulu of 

 British New Guinea a woman must not give birth to a child unless 

 she can give a pig to a village feast, and consequently children are 

 often destroyed either by abortion or infanticide, both of which 

 are common.* Of the Western Islands in the Torres Straits we 

 hear that ' few women rear more than three children, and besides 

 most of those born before marriage are doomed to be killed 

 immediately after birth, unless the father — which is seldom the 

 case — is desirous of saving the child. . . . Even of other infants 

 some, especially females, are made away with in a similar manner 

 when the mother is disinclined to support it.' ^ Of the Eastern 

 Islands it is said that ' after a certain number had been born, all 

 succeeding children were destroyed, lest the food supply should 

 become insufficient '.^ 



Rengger, who remarks upon the small number of children 

 among the Guaranis, traces it to the regular practice of abortion 

 after a certain number had been born.' ' Infanticide is quite 

 common among the Lenguas, an interval of seven or eight years 

 being always observable between children of the same family. Not 

 only are babies, which are born in the interval, immediately killed, 

 but abortion is also practised.' ® Among the Creek Indians ' to 

 destroy a new-born infant is not uncommon in families that are 

 grown so numerous as to be supported with difficulty '.^ Of the 

 Cheyennes it is said that ' it has been the custom that a woman 

 should not have a second child until her first is ten years old. 



' Waterhouse, loc. cit., p. 327. - Hunt, J. A. I., vol. xxviii, p. 0. 



=> Codrington, loc. cit., p. 229. * Williamson, Majidu People, p. 177. 



'■ Cambridge Anthropological Expedition, vol. v, p. 198. " Ibid., vol. vi, p. 107. 



' Rengger, loc. cit., p. 329. * Hawtrey, loc. cit., p. 295. * Schoolcraft, 



loc. cit., vol. V, p. 272. 



