The Descent of Man

that the colour of the skin is regarded by the
men of all races as a highly important element
in their beauty; so that it is a character which
would be likely to have been modified through
selection, as has occurred in innumerable instances
with the lower animals. It seems at first
sight a monstrous supposition that the jetblackness
of the negro should have been gained
through sexual selection; but this view is supported
by various analogies, and we know that
negroes admire their own colour. With mammals,
when the sexes differ in colour, the male
is often black or much darker than the female;
and it depends merely on the form of inheritance
whether this or any other tint is transmitted
to both sexes or to one alone. The resemblance
to a negro in miniature of Pithecia satanas
with his jet black skin, white rolling eyeballs,
and hair parted on the top of the head, is
almost ludicrous.