Chap. XX. Mun — Mode of Sexual Selection. 599 



" without having heen hetrothed, which, however, does not often 

 " happen, her lover must gain her approbation, as well as that of 

 "the parents.'"''' Mr, Win wood Eeade made inquiries for me 

 with respect to the negxoes of Western Africa, and he informs 

 me that " the women, at least among the more intelligent Pagan 

 " tribes, have no difficulty in getting the husbands whom they 

 " may desire, although it is considered unwomanly to ask a 

 " man to marry them. They are quite capable of falling in love, 

 " and of forming tender, passionate, and faithful attachments." 

 Additional cases could be given. 



We thus see that with savages the women are not in quite so 

 abject a state in relation to marriage, as has often been supposed. 

 They can tempt the men whom they prefer, and can sometimes 

 reject those whom they dislike, either before or after marriage. 

 Preference on the part of the women, steadily acting in any one 

 direction, would ultimately affect the character of the tribe ; for 

 the women would generally choose not merely the handsomest 

 men, according to their standard of taste, but those who were at 

 the same time best able to defend and support them. Such well- 

 endowed pairs would commonly rear a larger number of offspring 

 than the less favoured. The same result would obviously follow 

 in a still more marked manner, if there was selection on both sides ; 

 that is if the more attractive, and at the same time more powerful 

 men were to prefer, and were preferred by, the more attractive 

 women. And this double form of selection seems actually to 

 have occurred, especially during the earlier periods of our long 

 history. 



We will now examine a little more closely some of the charac- 

 ters which distinguish the several races of man from one another 

 and from the lower animals, namely, the greater or less deficiency 

 of hair on the body, and the colour of the skin. We need say 

 nothing about the great diversity in the shape of the features and 

 of the skull between the different races, as we have seen in the 

 last chapter how different is the standard of beauty in these 



'"' Azara, ' Voyages,' &c. torn. ii. mitive Marriage,' 1865, p. 32. On 



p. 23. Dobrizhoffer, 'An Account the Malays, Lubbock, ibid. p. 76. 



of the Abipones,' vol. ii. 1822, p. The Rev. J. Shooter, ' On the Katirs 



207. Capt. Musters, in 'Proc. E. of Natal,' 1857, pp. 52-60. Mr. J>. 



Geograph. Soc.,' vol. xv. p. 47. Leslie, 'Kafir Character and Customs,' 



Williaras on the Fiji Islanders, as 1871-, p. 4. On the Bush-men, 



quoted by Lubbock, 'Origin of Burchell, 'Travels in S. Africa,' 



Civilisation,' 1870, p. 79. On the vol. ii. 1824, p. 59. On the Koraks 



Fuegians, King and FitzRoy, 'Voy- by McKennan, as quoted by Mr. 



ages of the Adventure and Beagle,' Wake, in ' Anthropolopa,' Of;t. 1! 373, 



vol. ii. 1839, p. 182. On the Kal- p. 75. 

 luncks, quoted by M'Lennaa, ' Pri- 



