SEXUAL COLOUR 81 



the most brilliant colour compared to their 

 females. 



3. If females select then, there must be 

 either more males than females or polygamy : 

 but in many insects which present marked 

 sexual differences, males and females are 

 equal in number. Further, very few examples 

 of selection by females have been recorded ; 

 whereas many experiments have been carried 

 out that conclusively show that females do 

 not select. 



4. In many animals, the male undoubtedly 

 selects the female, and yet the male is the 

 more brightly coloured. 



5. The displays of courtship are not to do 

 with mating, but, as has been shown, are 

 pre-copulatory displays ; they therefore do 

 not play the r61e in sexual selection which 

 is assigned to them. 



6. Further, these displays are not made 

 only by animals which present secondary 

 sexual differences in characters, but are also 

 made by animals whose sexes are similar. 



7. Sexual selection does not explain the 

 absence of conspicuous male colouring in 

 predatory and night animals ; or rather they 

 form unexplained exceptions. 



Of course there must be many facts which 



F 



