134 Z?/^ and Lcve. 



Even the power of the bird's maternity pales 

 before this stupendous accomphshment. 



In the mammal, sex activity hastens on to a 

 higher plane of love, a long-continued love of 

 offspring. 



During the time the unborn young are develop- 

 ing, and as long as they are dependent upon her 

 care, the mother turns no sex thought to her mate. 

 Only after the beloved offspring have passed 

 beyond the need of her care, and the reproductive 

 activity again expresses itself through the maturing 

 of the egg-cell, does she think again of that other 

 love. During the time that she is nourishing the 

 young, both before and often long after their birth, 

 all other reproductive activity is in abeyance; the 

 egg-cells do not ripen; all the vitality is expended 

 in perfecting the life already started upon its 

 career. 



Sometimes the mammalian male takes an interest 

 in the support and care of his offspring, but gener- 

 ally not. 



True to his primal masculine nature he is more 

 active, more variable, and more egoistic, — in other 

 words, more selfish. 



Maternity is necessarily unselfish ; the long asso- 

 ciation with the young, the long sharing with it 

 and caring for it, causes the mother to think first 

 of another instead of herself. This end has been 

 forwarded too, no doubt, by her more quiescent, 

 less changeable nature. Thus has maternity been 



