Pxi/r/ii>lo(/ic(if Inn'At'njationH 273 



a selective appetite, and so a variety l>e preserved from intercroHsiuj^ with 

 tlu^ pannit stock. He olworves that when^ we just distinguish two varieties 

 hy one or two difVorences, these may connote a host of diilerences unknown 

 to us — especially those recognis«Hi by the sense of smell, so weak with us and 

 so stronj^ in many of the animals — "whoso aj^j^regate would amply snftice 

 to erect a barrier of sexual inditt'erence or even repugnance bctwicrj ili.-li- 

 memljers'." Galton, ct)nsidering the case of man, writes: 



"No tlioniu iH nioro triU^ than tliiit of tho sexual instinct. It furinM tlic main topic of each 

 of tlio many hundrod (I l)eliuvo alxtut KOO) novoU annually publiglied in Kngland alunv, and 

 of most of tho still moi-e nunittruuH poeniH, yot ono of ito main peculiaritiex has never, wj far as 

 I know, Ixjcn dourly set forth. Jt is tho relation that exists Ijotwecn ilillorent doj^rces of 

 unlikoness and diffcrrrnt d«j;ri'os of soxiial attractiveness. A male is little attract<-<l liy a 

 femaK^ who closely reseinhles him. The attraction is rapidly incroa.'MNl as the ditterenco in any 

 given re.spect betwiKMi the male and female increases, but only up to a certain point. When 

 this is pas.sed, the attraction a>{ain wanes, until tho «<ro of indifference is reached. When the 

 diversity is still {greater, thci attractiveness becomes negative and pa-s-ses into ropuj^nance, such 

 as most fair complexioiu'd men apjiear to feel towards ne;;re.s.sea, and vice v«rad. I have 

 endeavoured to mea.sure the amount of difference that gives ri.so to tho maximum of attractive- 

 ness between men and women, Ijoth as regarxis eye-colour and stature, chiefly using the data 

 contained in my collection of 'Family Record.s,' and have succeeded in doing so roughly and 

 provisionally. To determine it thoroughly and to lay down a curve of attractiveness in which 

 the abseissiie shidl Iks proportional to the amounts of difference, and the ordinate's to tho 

 strength of attraction, wouhl require fresh and special data " (p. 395.) 



I have not succeeded in Hnding in the Galtoniana Galton's rough and pro- 

 visional results, which, if found, would probably throw light on liis method. I 

 have thought over the possibility of his curve and tind great difficulties about 

 its determination. Is the man equally attracted by a plus or minus difference? 

 If so, the curve of attractiveness would have two maxima; but clearly the 

 man's opportunities of mating with both these groups would not be the same, 

 as one would be more frequent than the other, unless the man himself were 

 mediocre. If the man prefers a woman with darker eyes than himself, then 

 the woman's taste — for the system to work — would have to be the reverse of 

 the man's, or she must prefer a man with lighter eyes than herself. I have 

 not found in contingency tables for eye colour in man and wife signs of 

 this double maximum in the arrays". If the preferential difference is in 

 one direction only, say a man prefers a woman relatively shorter than him- 

 self, then the tallest class of women and the shortest class of men will have 

 to go without mates or /ante de inieux marry each other, which will upset 

 badly the curve of attractiveness, if it be based on statistical records. The 

 curve of attractiveness is a fascinating idea, but I do not see how it is to 

 be determined, and Galton's hy[)othesis that sexual taste and distaste are 



' The fastidiou.sness of certain .sire,s is a real trouble to the dog bree<ler. A bitch may ha 

 perfectly willing to mate and other dogs desirous of mating with her, but she may have no 

 attraction iov the particular sire chosen until a very late stjige of her season, when he becomes 

 excited. Such "last moment" dogs often mi.ss their opportunity. 



'■' A little considenition will show that it is verj' didicult indetHl to conceive a surface of 

 freijuency of which the arrays both ways are biniodal and yet such that the wife-modes of 

 husband accord with the husband-modes of wife I One is almost driven to the conclusion either 

 that there is no assortative mating, or that after all like must prefer to mate with like. 



van 35 



