778 THE DESCENT OF „^^ 



orange, almost white and black tints ^j ^-^^^^ gj^^^^ g^en 

 when common to both sexes, as well ^^ ^^^ bright'colors 

 of their fur, and the ornamental tufts al ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ 

 all been acquired through sexual selectio^ ^^ ^^^ order 

 of development during growth generally irj^icates the order 

 in which the characters of a species have ^^^^ developed 

 and modified during previous generations; h^^ ^g ^j^g ^^^jy 

 born infants of the various races of man do n ^^ differ nearlv 

 as much in color as do the adults, although ^\qIj. 'bodies are 

 as completely destitute of hair, we have son\ slight evi- 

 dence that the tints of the different races were^, acauired at 

 a period subsequent to the removal of the li^i'')\-,yhich must 

 have occurred at a very early period in the histoV^ £ ^^^ 



Summary. — We may conclude that the greai«,,.^ g^^e 

 strength, courage, pugnacity, and energy of man, in Cv^m. 

 parison with woman, were acquired during primeval timlli»g 

 and have subsequently been augmented, chiefly through 

 the contests of rival males for the possession of the fe- 

 males. The greater intellectual vigor and power of inven- 

 tion in man is probably due to natural selection, combined 

 with the inherited effects of habit, for the most able men 

 will have succeeded best in defending and providing for 

 themselves and for their wives and offspring. As far as 

 the extreme intricacy of the subject permits us to judge, 

 it appears that our male ape-like progenitors acquired their 

 beards as an ornament to charm or excite the opposite sex, 

 and transmitted them only to their male offspring. The 

 females apparently first had their bodies denuded of hair, 

 also as a sexual ornament; but they transmitted this char- 

 acter almost equally to both sexes. It is not improbable 

 that the females were modified in other respects for the 

 same purpose and by the same means ; so that women 

 have acquired sweeter voices and become more beautiful 

 than men. 



It deserves attention that with mankind the conditions 

 were in many respects much more favorable for sexual 



