The Descent of Man

males, and the latter the more attractive males.
This process, however, though it might lead to
the modification of both sexes, would not make
the one sex different from the other, unless indeed
their tastes for the beautiful differed; but
this is a supposition too improbable to be worth
considering in the case of any animal, excepting
man. There are, however, many animals in
which the sexes resemble each other, both
being furnished with the same ornaments,
which analogy would lead us to attribute to the
agency of sexual selection. In such cases it may
be suggested with more plausibility, that there
has been a double or mutual process of sexual
selection; the more vigorous and precocious
females selecting the more attractive and vigorous
males, the latter rejecting all except the
more attractive females. But from what we
know of the habits of animals, this view is
hardly probable, for the male is generally eager
to pair with any female. It is more probable that
the ornaments common to both sexes were ac-