. Biology in America. Biology. 344 Biology in America The result is not death to the unsuccessful competitor, but few or no offspring. , . Generally, the most vigorous males, those whicli are best fitted for their places in nature, will leave most progeny. But in many cases, victory depends not so much on general vigor, as on having special weapons, con- fined to the male sex. A hornless stag or spurless cock would have a poor chance of leaving numerous offspring. Sexual selection, by always allowing the victor to breed, might surely give indomitable courage, length to the spur, and strength.
. Biology in America. Biology. 344 Biology in America The result is not death to the unsuccessful competitor, but few or no offspring. , . Generally, the most vigorous males, those whicli are best fitted for their places in nature, will leave most progeny. But in many cases, victory depends not so much on general vigor, as on having special weapons, con- fined to the male sex. A hornless stag or spurless cock would have a poor chance of leaving numerous offspring. Sexual selection, by always allowing the victor to breed, might surely give indomitable courage, length to the spur, and strength. Male and Female Wood Ducks Showing sexual differences in color, from an illustration by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Courtesy of the U. 8. Bureau of Biological Survey. to the wing to strike in the spurred leg, in nearly the same manner as does the brutal cockfighter by the careful selection of his best cocks. How low in the scale of nature the law of battle descends, I know not; male alligators have been described as fighting, bellowing, and whirling around, like Indians in a war-dance, for the possession of the females; male salmons have been observed fighting all day long; male stag-beetles sometimes bear wounds from the huge mandibles of other males; the males of certain hymenopterous insects have been frequently seen by that inimitable observer M, Fabre, fighting for a particular female who sits by, an ap-. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Young, R. T. (Robert Thompson), b. 1874. Boston, R. G. Badger
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