SOURCE: "The Monsters" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 1953) by Robert Sheckley

DESCRIPTION: "...Cordovir killed her with a single flying slash of his tail, dragged her body outside, and sat down to eat." ("The Monsters" by Robert Sheckley)

NOTES: The Human Beings live on an alien planet (Mars?). Their bodies are slug-like with boneless, fluid flesh, ending in a spade-like tail. This tail is a deadly weapon as well as their primary organ for manipulating things. They have a single eye on the top of their heads. The female-to-male ratio is six-to-one so surplus females are kept in a pen until selected as a mate. Once married, they are allowed to live only 25 days before the husband kills them. The unmarried females tend the eggs. This behavior is not criminal but seen as moral. When earthmen come to their planet they see that they are hideous to look upon and not moral, allowing their married females to live longer than 25 days. The Human Beings call them "Monsters". The resulting clash is not hard to predict.

HISTORY: Sheckley does a great job of turning the 1930s style first encounter story around from the aliens' POV.