124 SEX 



at the breeding season. The broad facts are, 

 that there is often an over-mastering excite- 

 ment changing the animal's character and 

 appearance, that there is often a seeking out 

 of the females by the males and rarely the 

 other way, that the excited males in many 

 cases fight fiercely with one another, and that 

 they often make displays of agility, mettle- 

 someness, of beauty, of fragrance, of musical 

 talent, and so forth before the senses of their 

 desired mates. The difficulty is as to the 

 psychological interpretations to be put upon 

 the facts. One is apt to be uncritical in 

 reading too much of man into beast; yet 

 again, reacting from a too generous anthro- 

 pomorphism, one is apt to take a wooden view 

 of animal life, by depreciating the psychical 

 side. 



In giving a few illustrations of courtship 

 among animals (the subject of a recent fascin- 

 ating volume by Mr. W. P. Pycraft), we may 

 begin with the combats of rival males, since 

 these often take place in presence of the 

 females and appear to have in part the effect 

 of arousing or enhancing their sexual excite- 

 ment, as well as expressing that of the males 

 themselves. Stag may fight with stag till 

 they drip with blood, it may even be till the 

 antlers interlock, and death is stronger than 

 them both. We have seen an old buck 

 antelope punishing a presumptuous upstart 

 with a fury that seemed almost maniacal. 

 The rival sea-lions slash at one another's 

 necks with their sharp canines and make 

 long wounds whose scars remain for many a 

 day. 



