there is no doubt whatever as to the close association of the polyandry of the Todas with female infanticide. As we have seen, the Todas now profess to have completely given up the practice of killing their female children, but it is highly probable that the practice is still in vogue to some extent. It has certainly, however, diminished in frequency, and the consequent increase in the proportion of women is leading to some modification in the associated polyandry.³

If this assumption of Rivers’ is correct we have in the Toda and Tibetan practices a case of convergent evolution, where the same pattern is reached by different routes.

³Rivers, W.H. R.n/an/an/an/a, , 518 (The Macmillan Company. By permission).