Chap. XV.] SEXUALLY-LIMITED INHERITANCE. 153 



ly-colored females, supposing the equal form of trans- 

 mission to prevail, would be the lessening or annihila- 

 tion of the bright colors of the males, owing to their 

 continually crossing with the duller females. * It would 

 be tedious to follow out all the pther possible results ; but 

 I may remind the reader, as shown in the eighth chapter, 

 that if sexually-limited variations in brightness occurred 

 in the females, even if they were not in the least injurious 

 to them and consequently were not eliminated, yet they 

 would not be favored or selected, for the male usually 

 accepts any female, and does not select the more attrac- 

 tive individuals ; consequently these variations would be 

 liable to be lost, and would have little influence on the 

 character of the race ; and this will aid in accounting for 

 the females being commonly less brightly colored than 

 the males. 



In the chapter just referred to, instances were given, 

 and any number might have been added, of variations 

 occurring at different ages, and inherited at the same 

 age. It was also show T n that variations which occur late 

 in life are commonly transmitted to the same sex in 

 which they first appeared; while variations occurring 

 early in life are apt to be transmitted to both sexes ; not 

 that all the cases of sexually-limited transmission can thus 

 be accounted for. It was further shown that if a male 

 bird varied by becoming brighter while young, such varia- 

 tions would be of no service until the age for reproduction 

 had arrived, and there was competition between rival 

 males. But in the case of birds which live on the ground 

 and which commonly need the protection of dull colors, 

 bright tints would be far more dangerous to the young 

 and inexperienced than to the adult males. Consequently 

 the males w r hich varied in brightness while young would 

 suffer much destruction and be eliminated through nat- 

 ural selection ; on the other hand the males which varied 



