The Descent of Man

ches his fists in rage or agony. No doubt stags
challenge each other to mortal combat by bellowing;
but those with the more powerful voices,
unless at the same time the stronger, betterarmed,
and more courageous, would not gain
any advantage over their rivals.
It is possible that the roaring of the lion may be
of some service to him by striking terror into
his adversary; for when enraged he likewise
erects his mane and thus instinctively tries to
make himself appear as terrible as possible. But
it can hardly be supposed that the bellowing of
the stag, even if it be of service to him in this
way, can have been important enough to have
led to the periodical enlargement of the throat.
Some writers suggest that the bellowing serves
as a call to the female; but the experienced observers
above quoted inform me that female
deer do not search for the male, though the
males search eagerly for the females, as indeed
might be expected from what we know of the