Ammon,
in his investigation of conscripts at the age of 20 (_post_, p. 196),
discovered the significant fact that the eyes and hair darken _pari passu_
with sexual development. In women, during menstruation, there is a general
tendency to pigmentation; this is especially obvious around the eyes, and
in some cases black rings of true pigment form in this position. Even the
skin of the negro women of Loango sometimes becomes a few shades darker
during menstruation.[163] During pregnancy this tendency to pigmentation
reaches its climax. Pregnancy constantly gives rise to pigmentation of the
face, the neck, the nipples, the abdomen, and this is especially marked in
brunettes.
This association of pigmentation and sexual aptitudes has been recognized
in the popular lore of some peoples. Thus the Sicilians, who admire brown
skin and have no liking either for a fair skin or light hair, believe that
a white woman is incapable of responding to love. It is the brown woman
who feels love; as it is said in Sicilian dialect: "Fimmina scura, fimmina
amurusa."[164]
The dependence of pigmentation upon the sexual system is shown by
the fact that irritation of the genital organs by disease will
frequently suffice to produce a high degree of pigmentation.
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