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The Descent of Man

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hardly be added that with all savages, female<br />

slaves serve as concubines. That this negro<br />

should have attributed, whether rightly or<br />

wrongly, the fine appearance <strong>of</strong> his tribe to the<br />

long-continued elimination <strong>of</strong> the ugly women<br />

is not so surprising as it may at first appear; for<br />

I have elsewhere shewn (4. 'Variation <strong>of</strong> Animals<br />

and Plants under Domestication,' vol. i. p.<br />

207.) that negroes fully appreciate the importance<br />

<strong>of</strong> selection in the breeding <strong>of</strong> their domestic<br />

animals, and I could give from Mr. Reade<br />

additional evidence on this head.<br />

THE CAUSES WHICH PREVENT OR<br />

CHECK THE ACTION OF SEXUAL SELEC-<br />

TION WITH SAVAGES.<br />

<strong>The</strong> chief causes are, first, so-called communal<br />

marriages or promiscuous intercourse; secondly,<br />

the consequences <strong>of</strong> female infanticide;<br />

thirdly, early betrothals; and lastly, the low<br />

estimation in which women are held, as mere

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