76 CONTROLLED NATURAL SELECTION 



Another favouring fact is that animals, not 

 liable to be attacked, either make no pre- 

 copulatory displays or only poor ones. It is 

 also noteworthy that the displays made by 

 the parents for the protection of their young 

 during the attack of an enemy, are very 

 similar to and sometimes exactly like pre- 

 copulatory displays. In one case an enemy 

 is the stimulating agent ; may it not be so in 

 both? 



Just as there is no direct evidence in favour 

 of this conception, so there is none against 

 it. Other theories have been propounded to 

 account for the facts ; these will be discussed 

 under Sexual Colour (Chapter VIII) ; and 

 what contrary indirect evidence there is will 

 be also then considered. 



Some have likened these displays to car- 

 esses, and have supposed that by them 

 the male overcomes a coyness of the 

 female. Females appear to be coy be- 

 cause they take no notice of the male's 

 display; for this reason, when the male's 

 display appears to be kindly in nature to- 

 wards the female, it is called a caress ; and 

 no heed is taken of the many cases in 

 which the male's display appears quite brutal. 

 Further, much coyness on the part of the 



