Chap. XVIIL] VOCAL ORGANS. 2G3 



the males search eagerly for the females, as indeed might 

 be expected from what we know of the habits of other 

 male quadrupeds. The voice of the female, on the other 

 hand, quickly brings to her one or more stags, 3 as is well 

 known to the hunters who in wild countries imitate her 

 cry. If we could believe that the male had the power to 

 excite or allure the female by his voice, the periodical en- 

 largement of his vocal organs would be intelligible on the 

 principle of sexual selection, together with inheritance 

 limited to the same sex and season of the year ; but we 

 have no evidence in favor of this view. As the case 

 stands, the loud voice of the stag during the breeding-sea- 

 son does not seem to be of any special service to him, 

 either during his courtship, or battles, or in any other 

 way. But may we not believe that the frequent use of 

 the voice, under the strong excitement of love, jealousy, 

 and rage, continued during many generations, may at last 

 have produced an inherited effect on the vocal organs of 

 the stag, as well as of other male animals ? This appears 

 to me, with our present state of knowledge, the most prob- 

 able view. 



The male gorilla has a tremendous voice, and when 

 adult is furnished with a laryngeal sac, as is likewise the 

 adult male orang. 4 The gibbons rank among the noisiest 

 of monkeys, and the Sumatra species (Hylobates syndac- 

 tylus) is also furnished with a laryngeal sac ; but Mr. 

 Blyth, who has had opportunities for observation, does 

 not believe that the male is more noisy than the female. 

 Hence, these latter monkeys probably use their voices as a 

 mutual call ; and this is certainly the case with some 

 quadrupeds, for instance, with the beaver. 6 Another gib- 



8 See, for instance, Major W. Ross King (' The Sportsman in Cauada,' 

 1866, pp. 53, 131) on the habits of the moose and wild-reindeer. 

 4 Owen, ' Anatomy of Vertebrates,' vol. iii. p. 600. 

 4 Mr. Green, in 'Journal o'Linn. Soc' vol. x. Zoology, 1869, p. 862. 



