282 DARWINISM chap. 



of colour in the male, but rarely a decided difference. The 

 female of the great red kangaroo, however, is a delicate gray ; 

 while in the Lemur macaco of Madagascar the male is jet- 

 black and the female brown. In many monkeys also there are 

 some differences of colour, especially on the face. The sexual 

 weapons and ornaments of male mammalia, as horns, crests, 

 manes, and dewlaps, are well known, and are very numerous 

 and remarkable. Having thus briefly reviewed the facts, we 

 will now consider the theories to which they have given rise. 



Sexual Selection by the Struggles of Males. 



Among the higher animals it is a very general fact that 

 the males fight together for the possession of the females. 

 This leads, in polygamous animals especially, to the stronger 

 or better armed males becoming the parents of the next 

 generation, which inherits the peculiarities of the parents ; 

 and thus vigour and offensive weapons are continually 

 increased in the males, resulting in the strength and horns 

 of the bull, the tusks of the boar, the antlers of the stag, 

 and the spurs and fighting instinct of the gamecock. But 

 almost all male animals fight together, though not specially 

 armed ; even hares, moles, squirrels, and beavers fight to the 

 death, and are often found to be scarred and wounded. The 

 same rule applies to almost all male birds ; and these battles 

 have been observed in such different groups as humming- 

 birds, finches, goatsuckers, woodpeckers, ducks, and waders. 

 Among reptiles, battles of the males are known to occur in 

 the cases of crocodiles, lizards, and tortoises ; among fishes, 

 in those of salmon and sticklebats. Even among insects the 

 same law prevails ; and male spiders, beetles of many groups, 

 crickets, and butterflies often fight together. 



From this very general phenomenon there necessarily 

 results a form of natural selection which increases the vigour 

 and fighting power of the male animal, since, in every case, 

 the weaker are either killed, wounded, or driven away. This 

 selection would be more powerful if males were always in 

 excess of females, but after much research Mr. Darwin could 

 not obtain any satisfactory evidence that this was the case. 

 The same effect, however, is produced in some cases by con- 

 stitution or habits ; thus male insects usually emerge first from 



