584 The Descent of Man. Pabt til. 



" vie with each other in the superlatiTeness of their own style." 

 Dr. Wilson, in speaking of the compressed skulls of various 

 American races, adds, " such usages are among the least eradi- 

 '• cable, and long survive the shock of revolutions that change 

 " dynasties and efface more important national peculiarities."" 

 The same principle comes into play in the art of breeding; 

 and we can thus understand, as I have elsewhere explained,''' 

 the wonderful development of the many races of animals and 

 plants, which have been kept merely for ornament. Fanciers 

 always wish each character to be somewhat increased ; they do 

 not admire a medium standard ; they certainly do not desire 

 any great and abrupt change in the character of their breeds ; 

 they admire solely what they are accustomed to, but they 

 ardently desire to see each characteristic feature a little more 

 developed. 



The senses of man and of the lower animals seem to be so 

 coustitnted that brilliant colours and certain forms, as well as 

 harmonious and rhythmical sounds, give pleasure and are called 

 beautiful; but why this should be so, we know not. It is 

 certainly not true that there is in the mind of man any universal 

 standard of beauty with respect to the human body. It is, 

 however, possible that certain tastes may in the course of time 

 become inherited, though there is no evidence in favour of this 

 belief; and if so, each race would possess its own innate ideal 

 standard of beauty. It has been argued"" that ugliness consists 

 in an approach to the structure of the lower animals, and no 

 doubt this is partly true with the more civilised nations, in 

 which intellect is highly appreciated ; but this explanation will 

 hardly apply to all forms of ugliness. The men of each race 

 prefer what they are accustomed to; they cannot endure any 

 great change ; but they like variety, and admire each cha- 

 racteristic carried to a moderate extreme.'^ Men accustomed to 

 a nearly oval face, to straight and regular features, and to bright 

 colours, admire, as we Europeans know, these points when 

 strongly developed. On the other hand, men accustomed to 

 a broad face, with high cheek-bones, a depressed nose, and a 

 black skin, admire these peculiarities when strongly marked. 



" 'Smithsonianlnstitution,'1863, Anthropologie,' 1866, s. 164. 

 p. 289. On the fashions of Arab " Mr. Bain has collected (' Men- 

 women, Sir S. Baker, 'The Nile tal and Moral Science,' 1868, pp. 

 Tributaries,' 1867, p. 121. 304-314) about a dozen more or 



'* ' The Variation of Animals and less different theories of the idea oi 



PI ints under Domestication,' vol. i. beauty ; but none are quite the 



p. 214 ; vol. ii. p. 240. same as that here given 



'* Schaaffhauson, ' Archiv fdr 



