e been transferred by inheritance to the
male? The beauty would be a gain to the male, as far as we can see, as
a protection; and I cannot believe that it would be repulsive to the
female as she became beautiful. But we shall never convince each other.
I sometimes marvel how truth progresses, so difficult is it for one man
to convince another, unless his mind is vacant. Nevertheless, I myself
to a certain extent contradict my own remark, for I believe far more in
the importance of protection than I did before reading your articles.

I do not think you lay nearly stress enough in your articles on what
you admit in your letters: viz., "there seems to be some production of
vividness...of colour in the male independent of protection." This I
am making a chief point; and have come to your conclusion so far that
I believe that intense colouring in the female sex is often checked by
being dangerous.

That is an excellent remark of yours about no known case of male alone
assuming protective colours; but in the cases in which protection has
been gained by dull colours, I presume that sexual selection would
interfere with the male losing his beauty. If the male alone had
acquired beauty as a protection, it would be most readily overlooked, as
males are so often more beautiful than their females. Moreover, I grant
that the life of the male is somewhat less precious, and thus there
would be less rigorous selection with the male, so he would be less
likely to be made beautiful through Natural Selection for protection.
(442/2. This does not apply to sexual selection, for the greater the
excess of males, and the less precious their lives, so much the better
for sexual selection. [Note in original.]) But it seems to me a good
argument, and very good if it could be thoroughly established. I do not
know whether you will care to read this scrawl.

LETTER 443. TO A.R. WALLACE. Down, May 5th [1868?].

I am afraid I have caused you a great deal of trouble in writing to me
at such length. I am glad to say that I agree almost entirely with
your summary, except that I should put sexual selection as an equal,
or perhaps as even a more important agent in giving colour than Natural
Selection for protection. As I get on in my work I hope to get clearer
and more decided ideas. Working up from the bottom of the scale, I have
as yet only got to fishes. What I rather object to in your articles is
that I do not think any one would infer from them t