The Descent of Man

neck, which is much less developed in the female.
Now, what must we conclude with respect to
such sexual differences as these? No one will
pretend that the beards of certain male goats, or
the dewlaps of the bull, or the crests of hair
along the backs of certain male antelopes, are of
any use to them in their ordinary habits. It is
possible that the immense beard of the male
Pithecia, and the large beard of the male orang,
may protect their throats when fighting; for the
keepers in the Zoological Gardens inform me
that many monkeys attack each other by the
throat; but it is not probable that the beard has
been developed for a distinct purpose from that
served by the whiskers, moustache, and other
tufts of hair on the face; and no one will suppose
that these are useful as a protection. Must we
attribute all these appendages of hair or skin to
mere purposeless variability in the male? It
cannot be denied that this is possible; for in