THE "SEXUAL SEASON OF MAMMALS. 5 



It is a convenience to be able to use one term for this 

 phenomena in both sexes, but it is to be noted in the first 

 place, that the sexual season of an individual male and indi- 

 vidual female of the same species is not necessarily coincident, 

 either with regard to time or with regard to extent ; and in 

 the second place, that the phenomena exhibited are different 

 in the two sexes. For this reason special terms are used for 

 each sex. 



The Male Sexual Season. 



Rutting Season. — This term is used to describe all 

 seasons of special activity of the generative organs of the 

 male, during which he is desirous of coition and normally 

 capable of inseminating the female. In some animals these 

 seasons are of short duration and at long intervals ; in others 

 the intervals may be shorter or the duration of the season 

 longer; while in others, again, there would appear to belittle 

 or no cessation of the generative power. 



It is necessary here to remark that the term "rut" 

 (German " Brunst," French "rut ") is used by German and 

 French authors frecjuently, and by some English writers, to 

 designate the conditions obtaining in both male and female 

 mammals during the sexual season. This is an error; it is 

 essentially a word which should be confined to the phenomena 

 exhibited by the male ; it has its origin in the Latin word 

 " rugire," to roar or bellow, and is, I believe, strictly appli- 

 cable only to such animals as stags and boars. There are, 

 however, other male animals to which the term may be applied 

 in its original sense, as, for instance, the bull elephant in a 

 condition of " must," and it will be convenient to extend the 

 use of the term " rut " to the males of all animals which 

 exhibit seasons of special generative activity ; to those, on 

 the other hand, who are capable of inseminating the female 

 at all times of the year, the term is not applicable. 



The Female Sexual Season. 

 J II the case of the female the activity of her generative 



