g6 DARWINISM AND THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE 



certainly more difficult for a cockchafer to discover 

 a female of its own kind than the masses of food about 

 it. We understand at once, therefore, why, as a fact, 

 the male cockchafer has a finer scent than the female, 

 and why he has special olfactory organs on his antennae 

 which can be seen externally from their comb-shape. 

 We find similar structures in other insects, especially 

 several species of butterflies, and in small crabs 

 in fact, they are common in the animal world. 

 Other sense-organs also have been enhanced in the 

 male sex clearly by the same process of sexual selection. 

 Many male insects have much larger eyes than their 

 females, such as the May-flies and the male bees, the 

 drones. We can see the meaning of the large eyes in 

 the forehead of the latter. Of the many drones that 

 follow the one queen in its nuptial flight, one will be 

 particularly favoured in being able to follow the form of 

 the queen as she floats in the blue air, and so catches it. 

 But it often happens that the males lose the fruit of 

 love when they have tracked the female. When other 

 suitors come on the scene they will hardly withdraw 

 resignedly when they see the place occupied ; they 

 will try to make good their lateness by force, and drive 

 away their rivals. A struggle of this kind for the 

 female often takes place, and the victory naturally goes 

 to the strongest and cleverest. On this principle the 

 stronger males are again selected, and thus we can see 

 why the black-cock or the common cock is so much 

 stronger than the hen. In fact, this kind of selection 

 may lead to the formation of "weapons," such as the 

 cock's spurs or the stag's horns. In the latter case 



