678 THE DESCENT OF MAN 



and preferences are frequently exhibited, and much naore 

 commonly by the female than by the male. This being the 

 case, it is improbable that the unions of quadrupeds in a 

 state of nature should be left to mere chance. It is much 

 more probable that the females are allured or excited by 

 particular males, who possess certain characters in a higher 

 degree than other males; but what these characters are we 

 can seldom or never discover with certainty. 



