156 SECRETS OF EARTH AND SEA 



journey. At every such village, as they journeyed on, 

 the travellers were received with joy and good nature. 

 The negro porters were feted and made much of by the 

 young women. But one alone was unpopular and regarded 

 with ridicule and dislike. This was the handsome negro 

 with the fine, well-modelled nose and beautiful European 

 lips. The black beauties turned their backs on him, in 

 spite of his amiable character and kindly overtures. They 

 invariably and by open confession preferred the men 

 with the thickest lips, the broadest noses, and the most 

 thoroughly (as we should say) degraded prognathous 

 appearance and disgusting expression. Hence no doubt 

 the young negresses were likely to perpetuate in their 

 offspring the features which are characteristic of their 

 race, and hence it is probable that mere capricious sexual 

 selection of individuals most completely conforming to 

 a preferred type — irrespective of the value of the features 

 preferred — may have great effect in both the selection 

 and the maintenance of the peculiarities of the type. 

 Dark skin may thus have been selected, until it became 

 actually black ; a slight curling of the hair, until it 

 became woolly ; thickish lips and broadish nose, until 

 they became excessive in thickness and breadth. 



