Acquired Characters 25 



which the new natural characters will find a 

 place and be the means of a new increase of 

 energy and another shifting of environments. 

 This principle, broader than human society, 

 is a general law, and is recognized in biology 

 under the head of secondary sexual qualities. 

 Darwin assumes that the peculiar characters of 

 males are due to the contests of rival males or 

 to sexual selection caused by females choosing 

 those males in whom the qualities are most 

 prominent. Geddes and Thompson, 1 however, 

 point out that these secondary qualities are 

 expressions of a natural characteristic of male 

 animals. The males are more katabolic than 

 the females, and from their activity results the 

 qualities called secondary. The emphasis is 

 thus placed on the natural effect of surplus 

 energy, which shows itself more prominently 

 in males than in females. If energy expresses 

 itself in activity, and activity causes growth, 

 there would seem to be no need of other 

 explanations for sexual characters of males. 

 When males enter into severe contests among 

 themselves, their primary characters must be 



1 "The Evolution of Sex," Chap. I. 



