DARWINISM DEFENDED. 149 



nation be presented the theory of sexual selection should 

 not be discarded. That no other explanation of many, if not 

 most, of the phenomena in question has anything at all 

 convincing or satisfactory about it, or has met with any 

 general acceptance on the part of naturalists, is the plain 

 truth. If we feel it imperative to give our adherence, with 

 certain reservations, to any explanatory hypothesis of sec- 

 ondary sexual characters, Darwin's theory is the one to 

 have first claim on us. As a matter of personal opinion I 

 feel no necessity for any such attitude and am willing to 

 look on most of the phenomena connected with the general 

 problem of secondary sexual characters as quite inexplica- 

 ble on the basis of our present knowledge of bionomics. 



The specific answer of Lloyd Morgan * and other Dar- 

 winians to the objection that choice on the part of the 

 female assumes an aesthetic recognition and preference 

 which it is doins: violence to our knowledge of animal 



o o 



psychology to assume, should not be overlooked. This 

 answer is, put summarily, that this so-called choice is one 

 of impulse, not deliberation : it is an imperative reaction to 

 a sufficient stimulus : and what determines that the stimulus 

 from one male shall be sufficient while that from another is 

 not, is the degree of pronouncedness or effectiveness of the 

 ornament, or call, or behaviour. It is a choice "which is 

 determined by the emotional meaning of the conscious mean- 

 ing. And it is the reiterated revival of the associated 

 emotional elements which generates an impulse sufficiently 

 strong to overcome her instinctive coyness and reluctance. 

 ... It is a perceptual choice arising from impulse rather 

 than an ideational choice due to motive and volition." 



Regarding Wolff's argument that an explanation of these 

 characters is very necessary to the acceptance of the theory 

 of natural selection there is little to say in rebuttal. Natural 

 selection confesses itself inadequate to explain those ex- 

 traordinary characters and conditions by which the males 



