ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR CHARLES RUSSELL, Q. C. M. P. 39 



Sir Charles Eussell. — Deer for instance. 



The President. — And yet we know they are polygamous. 



Sir Charles Russell. — In every instance, so far as we know. In 

 answer to Mr. Gram I refer to page 451 Case of the United States, in 

 which the report of their Commissioners is set out. On that page they 

 say: 



If a herd of seals be takou iu its natural condition, that is as not interfered with 

 by man, males and females will be found practii-ally equal in number, as the number 

 of births in a year of both sexes is the same, and we have no reason to believe there 

 is any great dift'erence iu the natural mortality of the sexes. 



Mr. Foster. — That is a hypothetical case, in which you state the 

 fact. 



Sir Charles Eussell. — It stands thus: that so far as I know— I 

 do not of course speak myself as an authority at all — but so far as we 

 know of the case of animals which may be said in any degree to be 

 analogous, or indeed in any class of wild animals, the proportions of 

 males and females are equal. 



The President. — And yet there are a certain number of animals 

 which are notoriously polygamous aiul consequently each male sup- 

 ports or defends a certain number of females collected around him. 



Sir Charles Russell. — As for instance deer. 



The President. — What becomes of the superfluous male? 



Sir Charles Russell. — He is killed off, I suppose, just as the super- 

 fluous female is killed off. A certain proportion is observed. It is the 

 principle of natural selection, the principle of the survival of the fittest. 



The President. — That may be by natural means, or artificially. I 

 merely point out that question as one that may be of interest. 



Sir Charles Russell. — I am afraid that I perhaps did not convey 

 my views clearly in relation to that. 



I admitted that if you have got a race of animals naturally wild and 

 can tame them, so that you can substitute for the rude rules, if you 

 please, of nature, a principle of artificial selection of the best looking 

 females and the best looking males, and so improve the breed, and by 

 observation, artificially conducted, ascertain what the relative breeding 

 capacities of male and female are, then you may in the case those ani- 

 mals improve the breed then alter the relation of numbers; but in state 

 of nature you cannot interfere with those rules of nature unless you are 

 prepared to introduce an artificial system by which you can work out 

 the results on a certain basis. 



But apart from the question of improving the species, which is 

 another question from that of preserving it, the question is whether in 

 the case of polygamous animals man disturbs the order of nature when 

 he brings about the destruction of superfluous males by his own means 

 instead of leaving it to the animals to fight it out. 



Lord Hannen. — But then he adds his destruction to that of nature. 



Sir Charles Russell. — I am afraid, Lord Hannen, that I inter- 

 rupted you. 



Lord Hannen. — It is i^ast now. I was only going to express the 

 same idea which you expressed. 



(Tlie Tribunal here adjourned for a short time.) 



Sir Charles Russell. — I have still a few words to say. Sir, upon 

 the question of the general application of the character of the Regu- 

 lations before I come to any definite suggestion. And I was upon the 

 question whether there was authority in the Tribunal to make tem- 

 porary Regulations as to which I submitted tliere was, and I was then 

 considering the question of the exijedieucy of exercising the authority 



