MAN— LAW OF BATTLE. 557 



"It has ever been the custom among these people for the men to 

 "wrestle for any woman to whom they are attached; and, of 

 "course, the strongest party always carries off the prize. A weaK 

 "man, unless he be a good hunter, and well-beloved, is seldom per- 

 "mitted to keep a wife that a stronger man thinks worth his no- 

 "tice. This custom prevails throughout all the tribes, and causes 

 "a great spirit of emulation among their youth, who are upon all 

 "occasions, from their childhood, trying their strength and skill 

 "in wrestling." With the Guanas of South America, Azara states 

 that the men rarely marry till twenty years old or more, as before 

 that age they cannot conquer their rivals. 



Other similar facts could be given; bilt even if we had no evi- 

 dence on this head, we might feel almost sure, from the analogy 

 of the higher Quadrumana,-' that the law of battle had prevailed 

 with man during the early stages of his development. The occa- 

 sional appearance at the present day of canine teeth which project 

 above the others, with traces of a diastema or open space for the 

 reception of the opposite canines. Is in all probability a case of re- 

 version to a former state, when the progenitors of man were pro- 

 vided with these weapons, like so many existing male Quadru- 

 mana. It was remarked in a former chapter that as man gradually 

 became erect, and continually used his hands and arms for fighting 

 with sticks and stones, as well as for the other purposes of life, he 

 would have used his jaws and teeth less and less. The jaws to- 

 gether with their muscles, would then have been reduced through 

 disuse, as would the teeth through the not well understood princi- 

 ples of correlation and economy of growth; for we everywhere see 

 that parts, which are no longer of service, are reduced in size. By 

 Buch steps the original Inequality between the jaws and teeth in 

 the two sexes of mankind would ultimately have been obliterated. 

 The case is almost parallel with that of many male Ruminants, in 

 which the canine teeth have been reduced to mere rudiments, or 

 have disappeared, apparently In consequence of the development of 

 horns. As the prodigious difference between the skulls of the two 

 sexes in the orang and gorilla stands in close relation with the 

 development of the immense canine teeth in the males, we may 

 infer that the reduction of the jaws and teeth in the early male 

 progenitors of man must have led to a most striking and favorable 

 change in his appearance. 



There can be little doubt that the greater size and strength of 

 man, in comparison with woman, together with his broader shoul- 

 ders, more developed muscles, rugged outline of body, his greater 

 courage and pugnacity, are all due in chief part to inheritance 



^ On the fighting of the male gorillas, see Dr. Savage, in 'Boston 

 -Tournal of Nat. Hist.' vol. v. 1847, p. 423. On Presbytis entellus, see 

 the 'Indian Field,' 1859, p. 146. 



