Chap, xil. 
FISHES. 
15 
^ales, whilst immature, resembling the mature females ; 
uud, lastly, from the males, even of those species 
"liieh at ali other times of the year are identical in 
colour with the females, often acquiring brilliant tints 
during the spawning-season. We know that the males 
are ardent in their courtship and sometimes fight despe- 
rately together. If we may assume that the females 
aave the power of exerting a choice and of selecting the 
| llor o highly-ornamented males, all the above facts 
occorne intelligible through the principle of sexual 
election. On the other hand, if the females luxbi- 
f Hally deposited and left their ova to be fertilised by 
first male which chanced to approach, this fact 
"°uld be fatal to the efficiency of sexual selection; for 
there could be no choice of a partner. But, as far 
known, the female never willingly spawns except 
the close presence of a male, and the male never 
e, 'tilises the ova except in the close presence of 
a female. It is obviously difficult to obtain direct 
avi dence with respect to female fishes selecting 
‘ eir partners. An excellent observer , 24 who carefully 
Htched the spawning of minnows ( Cyprinus phoxinus), 
Remarks that owing to the males, which were ten times 
numerous as the females, crowding closely round 
1( Ie| u> he could “ speak only doubtfully on their opera- 
t( tio ns. When a female came among a number of 
uiales they immediately pursued her; if she was not 
„ lfca<1 y for shedding her spawn, she made a precipitate 
t le treat ; but if she was ready, she came boldly in 
<( araon g them, and was immediately pressed closely by 
„ a . llJa le on each side ; and when they had been in that 
t , ‘ sl fuatiou a short time, were superseded by other two, 
" 10 wedged themselves in between them and the 
24 Loudon’s ‘Mag. of Nat. Hist.’ vol. v. 1832, p. 681.. 
