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The Descent of Man

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cies <strong>of</strong> baboons. (9. Brehm ('Thierleben,' B. i. p.<br />

77) says Cynocephalus hamadryas lives in great<br />

troops containing twice as many adult females<br />

as adult males. See Rengger on American polygamous<br />

species, and Owen ('Anatomy <strong>of</strong> Vertebrates,'<br />

vol. iii. p. 746) on American monogamous<br />

species. Other references might be added.)<br />

We may indeed conclude from what we<br />

know <strong>of</strong> the jealousy <strong>of</strong> all male quadrupeds,<br />

armed, as many <strong>of</strong> them are, with special weapons<br />

for battling with their rivals, that promiscuous<br />

intercourse in a state <strong>of</strong> nature is extremely<br />

improbable. <strong>The</strong> pairing may not last for<br />

life, but only for each birth; yet if the males<br />

which are the strongest and best able to defend<br />

or otherwise assist their females and young,<br />

were to select the more attractive females, this<br />

would suffice for sexual selection.<br />

<strong>The</strong>refore, looking far enough back in the<br />

stream <strong>of</strong> time, and judging from the social<br />

habits <strong>of</strong> man as he now exists, the most proba-

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