1 16 Idle Days in Patagonia. 



the community : and albinism is associated witli 

 weakness of vision, and other defects, which might 

 be a sufficient cause of the aversion. Even among 

 the highly civilized and humane, the sight of sick- 

 ness is probably always, in some measure, repulsive 

 and shocking, especially in cases in which the skin 

 loses its natural colour, such as ana3mia, consump- 

 tion, chlorosis, and jaundice. This natural and 

 universal cause of dislike of the albino would be 

 strengthened among pure savages by the supersti- 

 tious element — the belief that the abnormal paleness 

 of the individual was supernatural, that Avant of 

 coloiu' signified absence of soul. 



As to the white shark of the tropics, the simplest 

 explanation of the greater terror inspired by this 

 creature would be that, being white, and therefore 

 conspicuous above all other dangerous creatures, 

 the sight would be more attracted to it, its image 

 would become more fixed, and look larger and more 

 formidable in the miml, and it would be more often 

 thought about apprehensively, with the result that 

 there would be a ])rcdispositiou to regard it with a 

 fear exceeding that inspired by other creatures 

 equally or even more dangerous to human life, but 

 inconspicuously coloured, hence not so vividly seen, 

 and creating no such distinct and persistent mental 

 imao-e. Let us consider what would be the 

 effect of the appearance of a warrior, habited in 

 snowy white, or shining gold, oi' vivid scarlet, or 

 flame-colour, among a host of contending men, 

 fighting in the old fashion with sword and spear and 



