368 DR. VAN DYCK ON SYRIAN STREET-DOGS. [Apr. 18, 



In order to ascertain whether female animals ever or often exhibit 

 a decided preference for certain males, I formerly inquired from 

 some of the greatest breeders in England, who had no thoretical 

 views to support and who had ample experience ; and I have given 

 their answers, as well as some published statements, in my ' Descent 

 of Man". The facts there given clearly show that with dogs and 

 other animals the females sometimes prefer in the most decided 

 manner particular males — but that it is very rare that a male will 

 not accept any female, though such cases do occur. The following 

 statement, taken from the 'Voyage of the Vega,'- indirectly supports 

 in a striking manner the above conclusion. Nordenskiold says : — 

 " We had two Scotch collies with us on the ' Vega.' They at first 

 frightened the natives very much with their bark. To the dogs of 

 the Chukches they goon took the same superior standing as the 

 European claims for himself in relation to the savage. The dog was 

 distinctly preferred by the female Chukch canine population, and 

 that too without the fights to which such favour on the part of the 

 fair commonly gives rise. A numerous canine progeny of mixed 

 Scotch-Chukch breed has arisen at Pitlekay. The young dogs had 

 a complete resemblance to their father ; and the natives were quite 

 charmed with them." 



What the attractions may be which give an advantage to certain 

 males in wooing in the above several cases, whether general appear- 

 ance, such as colour and form, or vigour and strength, or gestures, 

 voice, or odour, can rarely be even conjectured ; but whatever they 

 may be, they would be preserved and augmented in the course of 

 many generations, if the females of the same species or race, inhabit- 

 ing the same district, retained during successive generations approxi- 

 mately the same general disposition and taste ; and this does not 

 seem improbable. Nor is it indispensable that all the females should 

 have exactly the same tastes : one female might be more attracted 

 by some one characteristic in the male, and another female by a 

 different one ; and both, if not incompatible, would be gradually 

 acquired by the males. Little as we can judge what are the charac- 

 teristics which attract the female, yet, in some of the cases recorded 

 by me, it seemed clearly to be colour ; in other cases previous 

 familiarity with a particular male ; in others exactly the reverse, or 

 novelty. With respect to the first appearance of the peculiarities 

 which are afterwards augmented through sexual selection, this of 

 course depends on the strong tendency in all parts of all organisms 

 to present slight individual differences, and in some organisms to 

 vary in a plain manner. Evidence has also been given in my book on 

 Variation under Domestication showing that male animals are more 

 liable to vary than females ; and this would be highly favourable to 

 sexual selection. Manifestly every slight individual difference and 

 each more conspicuous variation depends on definite though unknown 



^ The Descent of Man, second edit. (1874), part ii. Chap. xvii. pp. 522-.525. 

 See also Chap, xiv., on choice in pairing shown by female birds, and on their 

 appreciation of beauty., 



' ' The Voyage of the Vega,' Eng. translat. (1881), toI. ii. p. 97. 



