In the interior of Africa, negroes, who have not associated with white men,
show great anxiety to improve their animals: they "always choose the larger
and stronger males for stock:" the Malakolo were much pleased at
Livingstone's promise to send them a bull, and some Bakalolo carried a live
cock all the way from Loanda into the interior.[499] Further south on the
same continent, Andersson states that he has known a Damara give two fine
oxen for a dog which struck his fancy. The Damaras take great delight in
having whole droves of cattle of the same colour, and they prize their oxen
in proportion to the size of their horns. "The Namaquas have a perfect
mania for a uniform team; and almost all the people of Southern Africa
value their cattle next to their women, and take a pride in possessing
animals that look high-bred." "They rarely or never make use of a handsome
animal as a beast of burden."[500] The power of discrimination which these
savages possess is wonderful, and they can recognise to which tribe any
cattle belong. Mr. Andersson further informs me that the natives frequently
match a particular bull with a particular cow.
The most curious case of selection by semi-civilised people, or indeed by
any people, which I have found recorded, is that given by Garcilazo de la
Vega, a descendant of the Incas, as having been practised in Peru before
the country was subjugated by the Spaniards.[501] The Incas annually held
great hunts, when all the wild animals were driven from an immense circuit
to a central point. The beasts of prey were first destroyed as injurious.
The wild Guanacos and Vicunas were sheared; the old males and females
killed, and the others set at liberty. The various kinds of deer were
examined; the old males and females {208} were likewise killed; "but the
young females, with a certain number of males, selected from the most
beautiful and strong," were given their freedom. Here, then, we have
selection by man aiding natural selection. So that the Incas followed
exactly the reverse system of that which our Scottish sportsmen are accused
of following, namely, of steadily killing the finest stags, thus causing
the whole race to degenerate.[502] In regard to the domesticated llamas and
alpacas, they were separated in the time of the Incas according to colour;
and if by chance one in a flock was born of the wrong colour, it was
eventually put into another flock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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