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tion of the marriage laws as described in. Native Tribes of 

 Central Australia, plainly shows that elaborate precautions, 

 no doubt quite unconsciously, are taken to ensure free inter- 

 crossing. Referring to various sexual relations, as occurring 

 at corroborees and other tribal ceremonies, the authors ex- 

 press the opinion that the most feasible explanation is that 

 at one time "promiscuity" was the general and universal rule 

 as regards marital relationships. Amongst gregarious 



animals ''promiscuity" must theoretically be the rule, al- 

 though in practice one or more of the stronger males will 

 usurp to themselves all the females of the group. Promis- 

 cuity in itself is detrimental to the fertilising of the ova of 

 higher developed animals, and, if rigorously carried out, 

 would lead to the extinction of the species. Hence is seen 

 the utility of the emotion of jealousy, wnich finds its fullest 

 expression in man, and acts beneficially as a selective and 

 restrictive influence. In animals it may also be noted, but 

 in a comparatively primitive form, and the remark of the 

 above authors that it is but little developed and scarcely 

 known amongst the Australian aborigines, throws an inter- 

 esting sidelight on the primordial character of their mental 

 constitution. Promiscuity being then inimical^ to the pro- 

 pagation of the species, and the application of the principle 

 ''that he takes who can" not finding favor with the cunning 

 old men m the presence of the strong young men, it is found 

 that the former gradually evolved what appears at first sight 

 to be a most elaborate svstem of marital relationships, any 

 infringement of which is punishable by death. Although 

 the term "free intercrossing" seems inappropriate to such a 

 rigid and exclusive system of marriage relationships, yet an 

 examination of these reveals the fact that they in a most 

 effectual manner ensure all the effects of free intercrossing 

 without the evils of promiscuity. For this purpose the 

 native tribes are each divided into what become eight inter- 

 marrying groups, the system being more elaborately dif- 

 ferentiated in some than in others. In the first place, four 

 groups were arranged, and these were subsequently sub- 

 divided. If these first four are looked upon as a first genera- 

 tion, and the subsequent four as a second genera- 

 tion, the following arrangement of letters will show the 

 relationship of the third generation. It may be mentioned 

 that there are no terms amongst the natives expressive of 

 blood relations as distinguished from group relations. For 

 instance, if a man A marries a woman B, the child will not 

 only call A and B father and mother, but all the A's and B's 

 whom the tribal customs would have allowed to be his father 

 and mother had they been mated. 



