The Descent of Man

generally, or at least often, exert some choice.
The female could in most cases escape, if
wooed by a male that did not please or excite
her; and when pursued by several males, as
commonly occurs, she would often have the
opportunity, whilst they were fighting together,
of escaping with some one male, or at least
of temporarily pairing with him. This latter
contingency has often been observed in Scotland
with female red-deer, as I am informed
by Sir Philip Egerton and others. (44. Mr. Boner,
in his excellent description of the habits of
the red-deer in Germany ('Forest Creatures,'
1861, p. 81) says, "while the stag is defending
his rights against one intruder, another invades
the sanctuary of his harem, and carries off
trophy after trophy." Exactly the same thing
occurs with seals; see Mr. J.A. Allen, ibid. p.
100.)
It is scarcely possible that much should be
known about female quadrupeds in a state of