160 
SEXUAL SELECTION : BIBDS. 
PA*^ 
inheritance from the males any marked access! 01 ’ 
fliji 
brightness, would sooner or later be destroyed- _ 
the tendency in the males to continue for an inde 11 ’ 1 ^, 
period transmitting to their female offspring their 0 
brightness, would have to be eliminated by a ehaflf^ 
the form of inheritance; and this, as shewn by 
previous illustration, would be extremely difficult- , p 
more probable result of the long-continued destm 0 ^ 
of the more brightly-coloured females, supposing 
equal form of transmission to prevail, would be tl' e . 
sening or annihilation of the bright colours of the 
owing to 
their continually 
crossing with the •- 
females. It would be tedious to follow out ^ ^ 
other possible results; but I may remind the read e !j (tl | 
shewn in the eighth chapter, that if sexually-i’" 1 * jj 1 
variations in brightness occurred in the females, 
they were not in the least injurious to them ^ 
sequenfly were not eliminated, yet they would 110 
3D 
if 
<D' 
favoured or selected, for the male usually accept 
female, and does not select the more att racin'® * jjo 
viduals ; consequently these variations would be 1 
to be lost, and would have little influence 011 
character of the race ; and this will aid in 
ing for the females being commonly less brig 
coloured than the males. 
In the chapter just referred to, instances were c 
and any number might have been added, of van 1 * 
$ 
& 
l\V> 
occurring at different ages, and inherited at the 
age. It was also shewn that variations which oce*’ 1 ^ 
iu lit 
which they first appeared ; whilst variations occ ,tt ’^, 
early in lit© are apt to be transmitted to both £ f 
V 
,<# 
not that all the cases of sexually-limited tran s11 ’’ ^ 
cau thus be accounted for. It was further she" 1 ’ ,,;].-! 
if a male bird varied by becoming 
brighter 
