The Descent of Man

having been the selected. We recognise such
cases by the females being more highly ornamented
than the males,—their ornamental characters
having been transmitted exclusively or
chiefly to their female offspring. One such case
has been described in the order to which man
belongs, that of the Rhesus monkey.
Man is more powerful in body and mind than
woman, and in the savage state he keeps her in
a far more abject state of bondage than does the
male of any other animal; therefore it is not
surprising that he should have gained the power
of selection. Women are everywhere conscious
of the value of their own beauty; and
when they have the means, they take more delight
in decorating themselves with all sorts of
ornaments than do men. They borrow the plumes
of male birds, with which nature has decked
this sex, in order to charm the females. As
women have long been selected for beauty, it is
not surprising that some of their successive