The Descent of Man

ally the males try to drive away or kill their
rivals before they pair. It does not, however,
appear that the females invariably prefer the
victorious males. I have indeed been assured by
Dr. W. Kovalevsky that the female capercailzie
sometimes steals away with a young male who
has not dared to enter the arena with the older
cocks, in the same manner as occasionally happens
with the does of the red-deer in Scotland.
When two males contend in presence of a single
female, the victor, no doubt, commonly
gains his desire; but some of these battles are
caused by wandering males trying to distract
the peace of an already mated pair. (22. Brehm,
'Thierleben,' etc., B. iv. 1867, p. 990. Audubon,
'Ornithological Biography,' vol. ii. p. 492.)
Even with the most pugnacious species it is
probable that the pairing does not depend exclusively
on the mere strength and courage of
the male; for such males are generally decorated
with various ornaments, which often beco-