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The Descent of Man

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tragus, or in that <strong>of</strong> the immense beard <strong>of</strong> the<br />

male Pithecia. Such study as I have been able to<br />

give to nature makes me believe that parts or<br />

organs which are highly developed, were acquired<br />

at some period for a special purpose.<br />

With those antelopes in which the adult male is<br />

more strongly-coloured than the female, and<br />

with those monkeys in which the hair on the<br />

face is elegantly arranged and coloured in a<br />

diversified manner, it seems probable that the<br />

crests and tufts <strong>of</strong> hair were gained as ornaments;<br />

and this I know is the opinion <strong>of</strong> some<br />

naturalists. If this be correct, there can be little<br />

doubt that they were gained or at least modified<br />

through sexual selection; but how far the<br />

same view may be extended to other mammals<br />

is doubtful.<br />

COLOUR OF THE HAIR AND OF THE<br />

NAKED SKIN.

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