256 The Descent of Man. Part 11 



consist of 112 males and 84 females of all ages— that is in a ratio 

 uf 133-3 males to 100 females. The Todas, who are polyandrous 

 in their marriages, during former times invariably practised 

 female infanticide ; but this practice has now been discontinued 

 for a considerable period. Of the children born withiu late years, 

 the males are more numerous than the females, in the proportion 

 of 124 to 100. Colonel Marshall accounts for this fact in the 

 following ingenious manner. " Let us for the purpose of illustra- 

 " tion take three families as representing an average of the 

 " entire tribe ; say that one mother gives birth to six daughters 

 " and no sons ; a second mother has six sons only, whilst the 

 " third mother has three sons and three daughters. The first 

 " mother, following the tribal custom, destroys four daughters 

 " and preserves two. The second retains her six sons. The third 

 " kilk two daughters and keeps one, as also her three sons. "We 

 " have then from the three families, nine sons and three daughters, 

 " with which to continue the breed. But whilst the males 

 " belong to families in which the tendency to produce sons is 

 " great, the females are of those of a converse inclination. Thus 

 " the bias strengthens with each generation, until, as we find, 

 "families grow to have habitually more sons than daughters." 



That this result would follow from the above form of infanticide 

 seems almost certain ; that is if we assume that a sex-producing 

 tendency is inherited. But as the above numbers are so ex- 

 tremely scanty, 1 have searched for additional evidence, but 

 cannot decide whether what I have found is trustworthy ; 

 nevertheless the facts are, perhaps, worth giving. The Maories of 

 New Zealand have long practised infanticide ; and Mr. Fenton"^ 

 .states that he " has met with instances of women who have de- 

 " stroyed four, siz, and even seven children, mostly females. 

 " However, the universal testimony of those best qualified to 

 " judge, is conclusive that this custom has for many years been 

 " almost extinct. Probably the year 1835 may be named as the 

 " period of its ceasing to exist." Now amongst the New Zea- 

 landers, as with the Todas, male births are considerably in excess. 

 Mr. Penton remarks (p. 30), " One fact is certain, although the 

 " exact period of the commencement of this singular condition of 

 " the disproportion of the sexes cannot be demonstratively fixed, 

 " it is quite clear that this course of decrease was in full opera- 

 " tion during the years 1830 to 1844, when the non-adult 

 " population of 1844 was being produced, and has continued 

 " with great energy up to the present time." The following 

 statements are taken from Mr. Fenton (p. 26), but as the numbers 



^* iborigmal Inhabitants of New Zealand; Government lieport,' 1859. 

 P. 36. 



