396 SEXUAL SELECTION. [Part II. 



cially modified for the sake of sexual attraction, the fe- 

 male having retained her primordial coloring only slightly 

 changed through, the agencies before alluded to; or 

 whether again both sexes have been modified, the fe- 

 male for protection and the male for sexual attraction, can 

 only be definitely decided when we know the life-history 

 of each species. 



Without distinct evidence, I am unwilling to admit 

 that a double process of selection has long been going on 

 with a multitude of species — the males having been ren- 

 dered more brilliant by beating their rivals ; and the fe- 

 males more dull-colored by having escaped from their 

 enemies. We may take as an instance the common brim- 

 stone butterfly (Gonepteryx), which appears early in the 

 spring before any other kind. The male of this species is 

 of a far more intense yellow than the female, though she 

 is almost equally conspicuous ; and in this case it does 

 not seem probable that she specially acquired her pale 

 tints as a protection, though it is probable that the male 

 acquired his bright colors as a sexual attraction. The fe- 

 male of Anthocaris cardamines does not possess the beau- 

 tiful orange tips to her wings with which the male is or- 

 namented ; consequently she closely resembles the white 

 butterflies (Pieris) so common in our gardens ; but we 

 have no evidence that this resemblance is beneficial. On 

 the contrary, as she resembles both sexes of several spe- 

 cies of the same genus inhabiting various quarters of the 

 world, it is more probable that she has simply retained to 

 a large extent her primordial colors. 



Various facts support the conclusion that, with the 

 greater number of brilliantly-colored Lepidoptera, it is the 

 male which has been modified; the two sexes having 

 come to differ from each other, or to resemble each other, 

 according to which form of inheritance has prevailed. In- 

 heritance is governed by so many unknown laws or con- 



