Chap. XX. 
COLOUR OF SKIN. 
381 
hair on our heads became developed. Eschricht^^ states 
that in the human foetus the hair on the face during 
the fifth month is longer than that on the head ; and 
this indicates that our semi-human progenitors were not 
furnished with long tresses, which consequently must 
have been a late acquisition. This is likewise indicated 
by the extraordinary difference in the length of the hair 
in the different races ; in the negro the hair forms* a 
mere curly mat ; with us it is of great length, and with 
the American natives it not rarely reaches to the 
ground. Some species of Semnopithecus have their 
iieads covered with moderately long hair , and this pro- 
bably serves as an ornament and was acquired through 
sexual selection. The same view^ may be extended to 
mankind, for wn know that long tresses are now and 
were formerly much admired, as may be observed in the 
wnrks of almost every poet ; St. Paul says, if a woman 
have long hair, it is a glory to her and we have seen 
that in North America a chief was elected solely from 
the length of his hair. 
Colour of the Shin , — The best kind of evidence that 
the colour of the skin has been modified through sexual 
selection is wnnting in the case of mankind ; for the 
sexes do not differ in this respect, or only slightly and 
doubtfully. On the other hand we know from many 
facts already given that the colour of the skin is re- 
garded by the men of all races as a highly important 
element in their beauty ; so that it is a character which 
w^ould be likely to be modified through selection, as has 
occurred in innumerable instances with the lower ani- 
mals. It seems at first sight a monstrous supposition 
that the jet blackness of the negro has been gained 
^ Ucber die Richtung/ ibid. s. 40. 
