( clxxii ) 



what I suppose to be the orthodox view — namely, that the 

 "characters " of an organism are partly a simple (practically 

 unmodified) inheritance from its ancestors, and partly modi- 

 fications of that inheritance which are beneficial to it in 

 view of its bionomic requirements. 



(2) My next generalisation is, that male and female modifica- 

 tions of structure usually differ in tJieir apparent object. Those 

 of the (J most commonly indicate adaptation to one single duty 

 of that sex, viz. pairing, or rather to the preliminaries of pair- 

 ing. But I never receive such an impression from examining 

 secondary $ characters. These seem always adapted towards 

 the subsequent activities of an insect which has " paired " 

 already — as oviposition, preparation of a recep)tacle for the ^^g, 

 pi'ovision of aliment for the larva, etc. They are beneficial to 

 her, not as a candidate for matrimony, but as a mother and 

 nurse by anticipation ; in short, for certain post-nuptial duties 

 peculiar to her sex. 



When I first began to think of the matter I had no 

 expectation that I should find any such regular distinction 

 between the characters of the two sexes. But, on reflection, 

 the thing seems likely a priori. There is, perhaps, just one 

 Activity which (except in the case of some Social species, e. g. 

 Apis mellifica *) is practically quite identical and provided for 

 by similar " characters " in both sexes of every Aculeate, Its 

 males and females feed themselves alike, visiting the same 

 favourite flowers and extracting their juices in the same 

 manner, any differences that may exist in this respect being 

 generic (or occasionally specific), but not sexual. Hence, though 

 the mouth-parts of all Aculeates ai'e much modified for this 

 activity, and the modifications differ considerably in different 

 genera, and to a less extent in different species of the same 

 genus, they hardly ever yield a Sexual character. But 

 almost all their other instincts belong to one sex only. It is 

 the ^ only — and this is almost his only duty ! — which seeks 



* Describing tlie difference between a Hive-bee Drone and his Queen 

 and Worker-sisters, Mrs. Conistock remarks: "His tongue is so short 

 that he must needs eat from honey stored in a cell or be fed by his sisters, 

 since he could not possibly extract honey from a deep flower." — How to 

 keep Beef!, p. 35. (An exception which may be said to prove the general 

 rule !) 



