the Animal Kingdom. 353 



circumstance, less masculine, females less feminine ; that is to 

 say, it brings the sexes nearer to a mean state. Age, or the 

 natural termination of the reproductive faculty, produces in de- 

 gree the same effect. This is observable in the human species, 

 as well as in other animals.* 



The fact, that malformations of the genitals occur most fre- 

 quently in the organs of excitation and copulation, { parts of 

 subordinate importance, and not formed until a comparatively 

 late period, affords an example of the fulfilment of the law, 

 determining the order in which innate formative properties are 

 manifested. The co-existence of testes, on the one hand, and 

 of ovaria on the other, with a male or female habitus ; formed, 

 as those organs are, long before the external, less important, 

 genitals ; such co-existence is recognisable in the fact observed 

 by Sommering, that the sexes may be distinguished in general 

 appearance, before a difference in the external genitals them- 

 selves proclaims them.{ In cases, too, of malformed genitals, 

 it rarely happens that the real sex is not decidedly pronounced 

 in the general habitus ; shewing further, the early operation of 

 the latter law. 



Another proposition of J. F. Meckel is as follows, viz. 

 " That sexual differences, at least according to their origin, and 

 periodical differences, may likewise be brought together ; " in 

 other words, that sexual differences may be compared to differ- 

 ences caused by the phases of life. It is not easy to suppose 

 that Meckel intended to represent the sexes as differing in de- 

 gree alone ; and yet it is added afterwards, that " the inferior 

 animals are purely females.^] " 



The circumstance, that what are called u neuter " Hymen- 

 optera, particularly bees those born for workers by being 

 conditioned in a certain way, may be converted into females or 

 queen bees, leads obviously to the conclusion, that the so-called 

 " neuter" bees, are really females, in an imperfectly developed 



* Old female birds acquire a plumage more or less similar to those of males ; 

 as well as spurs, combs, and even in degree, male instincts also. Meckel, 

 1. c. p. 446. 



t Meckel, 1. c. p. 447. $ Valentin, 1. c. p. 595. 



L. c. p. 39fi. ^ I,, c. p. 425. 



