In the present day, also, the practice of tribadism is more widely diffused than people in general imagine. I have often encountered instances of it in ladies of good position, who were past their first youth, who would not or could not marry, and who undertook extensive and long-enduring journeys with a female “companion,” of similar age, or perhaps a little younger. Their erotic needs, which could not be gratified in normal fashion, led to this sexual perversion—a tendency observable especially in persons with neuropathic predisposition, or with a liability to hysteria or to epilepsy. Sometimes such girls, even before puberty, show an inclination to wear boys’ clothes, to avoid all feminine manual occupations, and to examine and to handle the genital organs of their playmates. Even after puberty, such tribadists like to make a parade of masculine attitudes, they have their hair cut short, wear clothes of a masculine cut, smoke a great deal, and show in their conversation, and still more in their letters, great exaltation of the passions. It not infrequently happens that an elderly lady who has lived well in her day, and from youth upward has had much intercourse with men, comes at last to lament her worthlessness to men, and from this proceeds to the idea of obtaining sexual enjoyment by means of tribadism. The tribadistic union sometimes lasts for several years, but in most cases the alliances are quickly and frequently changed. According to _Taxil_, tribadism is fairly common among the married women of Paris, and in upper-class women is extremely prevalent. This author describes with what industry and perseverance many elderly tribadists endeavor to win for themselves and to seduce young girls, just as old women often work hard to gain money for the enjoyment of the favored person. In these unions, according to the descriptions of _Lombroso_, very remarkable phenomena occur. A particular jargon arises with tender designations for this or that bodily beauty; a violent jealousy develops, and a newly united pair keep together as much as possible for fear of losing one another’s affection; the “friends” tread always in one another’s footsteps. This author rightly points out that the very numerous romances describing relations of this kind prove the diffusion of this vice in “high life.” Novels of this class are referred to by _Mantegazza_ in his book, “Woman as Criminal and Prostitute.” He mentions: _Diderot_, “La Religieuse;” _Balzac_, “La Fille aux Yeux d’Or;” _Gautier_, “Mademoiselle de Maupin;” _Feydeau_, “Le Comtesse de Cholis;” _Flaubert_, “Salammbô;” _Bélot_, “Mademoiselle Giraud ma Femme;” _Willbraud_, “Fridolins Heimliche Ehe;” _Graf Stadion_, “Brick and Brack;” _Sacher-Masoch_, “Venus im Pelz.” _Zola_, also, in “Nana” and “La Curée,” and _Butti_ in “L’Antona,” make some reference to this matter.