24 SEX-LORE 



ever, the only difference between the sexes is the 

 larger size and greater strength of the male, except 

 for occasional appendages, of which the mane of the 

 male lion is the most familiar example. 



Some animals, such as the Musk deer and the 

 goat, have glands which secrete a fluid having a 

 pungent odour. It is generally in the male that this 

 secretion is formed, and only during the breeding 

 season. The scent is supposed to excite the female 

 for the act of pairing. The secretion of the musk 

 deer, when diluted, forms the basis of some of our 

 most valued perfumes ; and for this reason the animal 

 has been persecuted for many generations, thus 

 showing that human beings still have tastes in com- 

 mon with the animals. 



We have already remarked that courtship takes 

 place at certain seasons which are different for the 

 various animals. During the mating season animals 

 become very excitable, the males being attracted to 

 the females and seeking them at all hazards. This 

 sexual state among the mammals, such as the rabbit, 

 cat, dog, pig, cattle, horse, etc., is known as the 

 " heat " or " brunst " period; in males especially as 

 the " rut." The sex organs during this state become 

 turgid, and the females often show a discharge of 

 mucus, mixed with more or less blood, from the sex 

 passage (which will be described later). This stage 

 indicates the greatest sexual desire, and it is only 

 during this state that the female will admit the male 

 for mating. Some animals have more than one 

 sexual season in a year; thus the dog has two, one 

 in spring and one in autumn. 



Among the apes, the highest animals before man, 



