OF WILD ANIMALS 221 



not to rob one another, but with 25 per cent of the men of all 

 civilized races, robbery, and the desire to get something for 

 nothing, are ruling passions. No wild animals thus far known 

 and described practice sex crimes; but the less!;said of the races 

 of men on this subject, the better for our feelings. 



Among animals, save in the warfare of carnivorous animals 

 for their daily food, there are no exterminatory wars between 

 species, and even local wars over territory are of very rare occur- 

 rence. Among men, the territorial wars of tribes and nations 

 are innumerable, they have been from the earliest historic 

 times, and they are certain to continue as long as this earth 

 is inhabited by man. The "end of war" between the grasping 

 nations of this earth is an iridescent dream, because of the 

 inextinguishable jealousy and meanness of nations; but it is 

 well to reduce them to a minimum. Nations like Germany, 

 Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia will never stand hitched for any 

 long periods. Their peace-loving neighbors need to keep their 

 weapons well oiled and polished, and indulge in no hallucina- 

 tions of a millenium upon this wicked earth. 



In the mating season, there is fighting in many wild animal 

 species between the largest and finest male individuals for the 

 honor of overlordship in increasing and diffusing the species. 

 These encounters are most noticeable in the various species of 

 the deer family, because the fatal interlocking of antlers occa- 

 sionally causes the death of both contestants. We have in 

 our National Collection of Heads and Horns sets of interlocked 

 antlers of moose, caribou, mule deer and white-tailed deer. 



Otherwise than from the accidental interlocking of antlers, — 

 due to the fact that an animal can push forward with far 

 greater force than it can pull back, — I have never seen, heard 

 or read of a wild animal having been killed outright in a fight 

 over the possession of females. Fur seal and Stellar sea-lion 

 bulls, and big male orang-utans, frequently are found badly 

 scarified by wounds received in fighting during the breeding 

 season, but of actual deaths we have not heard. 



