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The Descent of Man

The Descent of Man

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moreover, <strong>of</strong> the definite action <strong>of</strong> the conditions<br />

<strong>of</strong> life, will not have been masked in the<br />

females, as in the males, by the accumulation<br />

through sexual selection <strong>of</strong> stronglypronounced<br />

colours and other ornaments. <strong>The</strong><br />

individuals <strong>of</strong> both sexes, however affected,<br />

will have been kept at each successive period<br />

nearly uniform by the free intercrossing <strong>of</strong> many<br />

individuals.<br />

With species, in which the sexes differ in colour,<br />

it is possible or probable that some <strong>of</strong> the<br />

successive variations <strong>of</strong>ten tended to be transmitted<br />

equally to both sexes; but that when this<br />

occurred the females were prevented from acquiring<br />

the bright colours <strong>of</strong> the males, by the<br />

destruction which they suffered during incubation.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is no evidence that it is possible by<br />

natural selection to convert one form <strong>of</strong> transmission<br />

into another. But there would not be<br />

the least difficulty in rendering a female dullcoloured,<br />

the male being still kept bright- co-

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