Farfromimaginingthatcatsexist’inorder’tocatchmicewell,Darwinismsupposesthatcatsexist’because’theycatchmicewell——mousingbeingnottheend,butthecondition,oftheirexistence。Andifthecattypehaslongpersistedasweknowit,theinterpretationofthefactuponDarwinianprincipleswouldbe,notthatthecatshaveremainedinvariable,butthatsuchvarietiesashaveincessantlyoccurredhavebeen,onthewhole,lessfittedtogetonintheworldthantheexistingstock。
Ifweapprehendthespiritofthe’OriginofSpecies’rightly,then,nothingcanbemoreentirelyandabsolutelyopposedtoTeleology,asitiscommonlyunderstood,thantheDarwinianTheory。SofarfrombeingaTeleologistinthefullestsenseoftheword,wewoulddenythatheisaTeleologistintheordinarysenseatall。andweshouldsaythat,apartfromhismeritsasanaturalist,hehasrenderedamostremarkableservicetophilosophicalthoughtbyenablingthestudentofNaturetorecognise,totheirfullestextent,thoseadaptationstopurposewhicharesostrikingintheorganicworld,andwhichTeleologyhasdonegoodserviceinkeepingbeforeourminds,withoutbeingfalsetothefundamentalprinciplesofascientificconceptionoftheuniverse。TheapparentlydivergingteachingsoftheTeleologistandoftheMorphologistarereconciledbytheDarwinianhypothesis。
Butleavingourownimpressionsofthe’OriginofSpecies,’andturningtothosepassagesespeciallycitedbyProfessorKolliker,wecannotadmitthattheybeartheinterpretationheputsuponthem。Darwin,ifwereadhimrightly,does’not’affirmthateverydetailinthestructureofananimalhasbeencreatedforitsbenefit。Hiswordsarep。199:——
Theforegoingremarksleadmetosayafewwordsontheprotestlatelymadebysomenaturalistsagainsttheutilitariandoctrinethateverydetailofstructurehasbeenproducedforthegoodofitspossessor。
Theybelievethatverymanystructureshavebeencreatedforbeautyintheeyesofman,orformerevariety。Thisdoctrine,iftrue,wouldbeabsolutelyfataltomytheory——yetIfullyadmitthatmanystructuresareofnodirectusetotheirpossessor。
Andaftersundryillustrationsandqualifications,heconcludesp。
200:——
Henceeverydetailofstructureineverylivingcreaturemakingsomelittleallowanceforthedirectactionofphysicalconditionsmaybeviewedeitherashavingbeenofspecialusetosomeancestralform,orasbeingnowofspecialusetothedescendantsofthisform——eitherdirectly,orindirectly,throughthecomplexlawsofgrowth。
Butitisonethingtosay,Darwinically,thateverydetailobservedinananimal’sstructureisofusetoit,orhasbeenofusetoitsancestors。andquiteanothertoaffirm,teleologically,thateverydetailofananimal’sstructurehasbeencreatedforitsbenefit。Ontheformerhypothesis,forexample,theteethofthefoetalBalaenahaveameaning。onthelatter,none。Sofarasweareaware,thereisnotaphraseinthe’OriginofSpecies’,inconsistentwithProfessorKolliker’sposition,thatvarietiesariseirrespectivelyofthenotionofpurpose,orofutility,accordingtogenerallawsofNature,andmaybeeitheruseful,orhurtful,orindifferent。
Onthecontrary,Mr。DarwinwritesSummaryofChap。V。:——
Ourignoranceofthelawsofvariationisprofound。Notinonecaseoutofahundredcanwepretendtoassignanyreasonwhythisorthatpartvariesmoreorlessfromthesamepartintheparents……Theexternalconditionsoflife,asclimateandfood,etc。,seemtohaveinducedsomeslightmodifications。Habit,inproducingconstitutionaldifferences,anduse,instrengthening,anddisuse,inweakeninganddiminishingorgans,seemtohavebeenmorepotentintheireffects。
Andfinally,asiftopreventallpossiblemisconception,Mr。DarwinconcludeshisChapteronVariationwiththesepregnantwords:——
Whateverthecausemaybeofeachslightdifferenceintheoffspringfromtheirparents——andacauseforeachmustexist——itisthesteadyaccumulation,throughnaturalselectionofsuchdifferences,whenbeneficialtotheindividual,thatgivesrisetoallthemoreimportantmodificationsofstructurewhichtheinnumerablebeingsonthefaceoftheearthareenabledtostrugglewitheachother,andthebestadaptedtosurvive。
Wehavedweltatlengthuponthissubject,becauseofitsgreatgeneralimportance,andbecausewebelievethatProfessorKolliker’scriticismsonthisheadarebaseduponamisapprehensionofMr。Darwin’sviews——substantiallytheyappeartoustocoincidewithhisown。TheotherobjectionswhichProfessorKollikerenumeratesanddiscussesarethefollowing*:——
[footnote]*SpacewillnotallowustogiveProfessorKolliker’sargumentsindetail。ourreaderswillfindafullandaccurateversionoftheminthe’Reader’forAugust13thand20th,1864。
1。Notransitionalformsbetweenexistingspeciesareknown。andknownvarieties,whetherselectedorspontaneous,nevergosofarastoestablishnewspecies。
TothisProfessorKollikerappearstoattachsomeweight。Hemakesthesuggestionthattheshort-facedtumblerpigeonmaybeapathologicalproduct。
2。Notransitionalformsofanimalsaremetwithamongtheorganicremainsofearlierepochs。
Uponthis,ProfessorKollikerremarksthattheabsenceoftransitionalformsinthefossilworld,thoughnotnecessarilyfataltoDarwin’sviews,weakenshiscase。
3。Thestruggleforexistencedoesnottakeplace。
Tothisobjection,urgedbyPelzeln,Kolliker,veryjustly,attachesnoweight。
4。Atendencyoforganismstogiverisetousefulvarieties,andanaturalselection,donotexist。
Thevarietieswhicharefoundariseinconsequenceofmanifoldexternalinfluences,anditisnotobviouswhytheyall,orpartially,shouldbeparticularlyuseful。Eachanimalsufficesforitsownends,isperfectofitskind,andneedsnofurtherdevelopment。Should,however,avarietybeusefulandevenmaintainitself,thereisnoobviousreasonwhyitshouldchangeanyfurther。ThewholeconceptionoftheimperfectionoforganismsandthenecessityoftheirbecomingperfectedisplainlytheweakestsideofDarwin’sTheory,anda’pisaller’NothbehelfbecauseDarwincouldthinkofnootherprinciplebywhichtoexplainthemetamorphoseswhich,asIalsobelieve,haveoccurred。
HereagainwemustventuretodissentcompletelyfromProfessorKolliker’sconceptionofMr。Darwin’shypothesis。Itappearstoustobeoneofthemanypeculiarmeritsofthathypothesisthatitinvolvesnobeliefinanecessaryandcontinualprogressoforganisms。
Again,Mr。Darwin,ifwereadhimaright,assumesnospecialtendencyoforganismstogiverisetousefulvarieties,andknowsnothingofneedsofdevelopment,ornecessityofperfection。Whathesaysis,insubstance:Allorganismsvary。Itisinthehighestdegreeimprobablethatanygivenvarietyshouldhaveexactlythesamerelationstosurroundingconditionsastheparentstock。Inthatcaseitiseitherbetterfittedwhenthevariationmaybecalleduseful,orworsefitted,tocopewiththem。Ifbetter,itwilltendtosupplanttheparentstock。ifworse,itwilltendtobeextinguishedbytheparentstock。
Ifasishardlyconceivablethenewvarietyissoperfectlyadaptedtotheconditionsthatnoimprovementuponitispossible,——itwillpersist,because,thoughitdoesnotceasetovary,thevarietieswillbeinferiortoitself。
If,asismoreprobable,thenewvarietyisbynomeansperfectlyadaptedtoitsconditions,butonlyfairlywelladaptedtothem,itwillpersist,solongasnoneofthevarietieswhichitthrowsoffarebetteradaptedthanitself。
Ontheotherhand,assoonasitvariesinausefulway,i。e。whenthevariationissuchastoadaptitmoreperfectlytoitsconditions,thefreshvarietywilltendtosupplanttheformer。
SofarfromagradualprogresstowardsperfectionforminganynecessarypartoftheDarwiniancreed,itappearstousthatitisperfectlyconsistentwithindefinitepersistenceinoneestate,orwithagradualretrogression。Suppose,forexample,areturnoftheglacialepochandaspreadofpolarclimatalconditionsoverthewholeglobe。Theoperationofnaturalselectionunderthesecircumstanceswouldtend,onthewhole,totheweedingoutofthehigherorganismsandthecherishingofthelowerformsoflife。CryptogamicvegetationwouldhavetheadvantageoverPhanerogamic。HydrozoaoverCorals。CrustaceaoverInsecta,andAmphipodaandIsopodaoverthehigherCrustacea。
CetaceansandSealsoverthePrimates。thecivilizationoftheEsquimauxoverthatoftheEuropean。
5。Pelzelnhasalsoobjectedthatifthelaterorganismshaveproceededfromtheearlier,thewholedevelopmentalseries,fromthesimplesttothehighest,couldnotnowexist。insuchacasethesimplerorganismsmusthavedisappeared。
TothisProfessorKollikerreplies,withperfectjustice,thattheconclusiondrawnbyPelzelndoesnotreallyfollowfromDarwin’spremisses,andthat,ifwetakethefactsofPalaeontologyastheystand,theyrathersupportthanopposeDarwin’stheory。
6。GreatweightmustbeattachedtotheobjectionbroughtforwardbyHuxley,otherwiseawarmsupporterofDarwin’shypothesis,thatweknowofnovarietieswhicharesterilewithoneanother,asistheruleamongsharplydistinguishedanimalforms。
IfDarwinisright,itmustbedemonstratedthatformsmaybeproducedbyselection,which,likethepresentsharplydistinguishedanimalforms,areinfertile,whencoupledwithoneanother,andthishasnotbeendone。
Theweightofthisobjectionisobvious。butourignoranceoftheconditionsoffertilityandsterility,thewantofcarefullyconductedexperimentsextendingoverlongseriesofyears,andthestrangeanomaliespresentedbytheresultsofthecross-fertilizationofmanyplants,shouldall,asMr。Darwinhasurged,betakenintoaccountinconsideringit。
Theseventhobjectionisthatwehavealreadydiscussed’supra’,p。
178。
Theeighthandlaststandsasfollows:——
8。ThedevelopmentaltheoryofDarwinisnotneededtoenableustounderstandtheregularharmoniousprogressofthecompleteseriesoforganicformsfromthesimplertothemoreperfect。
TheexistenceofgenerallawsofNatureexplainsthisharmony,evenifweassumethatallbeingshavearisenseparatelyandindependentofoneanother。Darwinforgetsthatinorganicnature,inwhichtherecanbenothoughtofgeneticconnexionofforms,exhibitsthesameregularplan,thesameharmony,astheorganicworld。andthat,tociteonlyoneexample,thereisasmuchanaturalsystemofmineralsasofplantsandanimals。
WedonotfeelquitesurethatweseizeProfessorKolliker’smeaninghere,butheappearstosuggestthattheobservationofthegeneralorderandharmonywhichpervadeinorganicnature,wouldleadustoanticipateasimilarorderandharmonyintheorganicworld。Andthisisnodoubttrue,butitbynomeansfollowsthattheparticularorderandharmonyobservedamongthemshouldbethatwhichwesee。Surelythestripesofdunhorses,andtheteethofthefoetal’Balaena’,arenotexplainedbytheexistenceofgenerallawsofNature。Mr。
Darwinendeavourstoexplaintheexactorderoforganicnaturewhichexists。notthemerefactthatthereissomeorder。
Andwithregardtotheexistenceofanaturalsystemofminerals。theobviousreplyisthattheremaybeanaturalclassificationofanyobjects——ofstonesonasea-beach,orofworksofart。anaturalclassificationbeingsimplyanassemblageofobjectsingroups,soastoexpresstheirmostimportantandfundamentalresemblancesanddifferences。NodoubtMr。Darwinbelievesthatthoseresemblancesanddifferencesuponwhichournaturalsystemsorclassificationsofanimalsandplantsarebased,areresemblancesanddifferenceswhichhavebeenproducedgenetically,butwecandiscovernoreasonforsupposingthathedeniestheexistenceofnaturalclassificationsofotherkinds。
And,afterall,isitquitesocertainthatageneticrelationmaynotunderlietheclassificationofminerals?Theinorganicworldhasnotalwaysbeenwhatweseeit。Ithascertainlyhaditsmetamorphoses,and,veryprobably,alongEntwickelungsgeschichteoutofanebularblastema。Whoknowshowfarthatamountoflikenessamongsetsofminerals,invirtueofwhichtheyarenowgroupedintofamiliesandorders,maynotbetheexpressionofthecommonconditionstowhichthatparticularpatchofnebulousfog,whichmayhavebeenconstitutedbytheiratoms,andofwhichtheymaybe,inthestrictestsense,thedescendants,wassubjected?
Itwillbeobviousfromwhathaspreceded,thatwedonotagreewithProfessorKollikerinthinkingtheobjectionswhichhebringsforwardsoweightyastobefataltoDarwin’sview。Butevenifthecasewereotherwise,weshouldbeunabletoaccepttheTheoryofHeterogeneousGenerationwhichisofferedasasubstitute。Thattheoryisthusstated:——
Thefundamentalconceptionofthishypothesisis,that,undertheinfluenceofagenerallawofdevelopment,thegermsoforganismsproduceothersdifferentfromthemselves。Thismighthappen1bythefecundatedovapassing,inthecourseoftheirdevelopment,underparticularcircumstances,intohigherforms。2bytheprimitiveandlaterorganismsproducingotherorganismswithoutfecundation,outofgermsoreggsParthenogenesis。
Infavourofthishypothesis,ProfessorKollikeradducesthewell-knownfactsofAgamogenesis,oralternategeneration。theextremedissimilarityofthemalesandfemalesofmanyanimals。andofthemales,females,andneutersofthoseinsectswhichliveincolonies:
andhedefinesitsrelationstotheDarwiniantheoryasfollows:——
ItisobviousthatmyhypothesisisapparentlyverysimilartoDarwin’s,inasmuchasIalsoconsiderthatthevariousformsofanimalshaveproceededdirectlyfromoneanother。Myhypothesisofthecreationoforganismsbyheterogeneousgeneration,however,isdistinguishedveryessentiallyfromDarwin’sbytheentireabsenceoftheprincipleofusefulvariationsandtheirnaturalselection:andmyfundamentalconceptionisthis,thatagreatplanofdevelopmentliesatthefoundationoftheoriginofthewholeorganicworld,impellingthesimplerformstomoreandmorecomplexdevelopments。Howthislawoperates,whatinfluencesdeterminethedevelopmentoftheeggsandgerms,andimpelthemtoassumeconstantlynewforms,Inaturallycannotpretendtosay。butIcanatleastadducethegreatanalogyofthealternationofgenerations。Ifa’Bipinnaria’,a’Brachialaria’,a’Pluteus’,iscompetenttoproducetheEchinoderm,whichissowidelydifferentfromit。ifahydroidpolypecanproducethehigherMedusa。
ifthevermiformTrematode’nurse’candevelopwithinitselftheveryunlike’Cercaria’,itwillnotappearimpossiblethattheegg,orciliatedembryo,ofasponge,foronce,underspecialconditions,mightbecomeahydroidpolype,ortheembryoofaMedusa,anEchinoderm。
Itisobvious,fromtheseextracts,thatProfessorKolliker’shypothesisisbaseduponthesupposedexistenceofacloseanalogybetweenthephenomenaofAgamogenesisandtheproductionofnewspeciesfrompre-existingones。Butistheanalogyarealone?Wethinkthatitisnot,and,bythehypothesis,cannotbe。
ForwhatarethephenomenaofAgamogenesis,statedgenerally?Animpregnatedeggdevelopsintoanasexualform,A。thisgivesrise,asexually,toasecondformorforms,B,moreorlessdifferentfromA。Bmaymultiplyasexuallyagain。inthesimplercases,however,itdoesnot,but,acquiringsexualcharacters,producesimpregnatedeggsfromwhenceA,oncemore,arises。
NocaseofAgamogenesisisknowninwhich,’whenAdifferswidelyfromB’,itisitselfcapableofsexualpropagation。NocasewhateverisknowninwhichtheprogenyofB,bysexualgeneration,isotherthanareproductionofA。
ButifthisbeatruestatementofthenatureoftheprocessofAgamogenesis,howcanitenableustocomprehendtheproductionofnewspeciesfromalreadyexistingones?LetussupposeHyaenastohaveprecededDogs,andtohaveproducedthelatterinthisway。ThentheHyenawillrepresentA,andtheDog,B。ThefirstdifficultythatpresentsitselfisthattheHyenamustbeasexual,ortheprocesswillbewhollywithoutanalogyintheworldofAgamogenesis。Butpassingoverthisdifficulty,andsupposingamaleandfemaleDogtobeproducedatthesametimefromtheHyaenastock,theprogenyofthepair,iftheanalogyofthesimplerkindsofAgamogenesis*istobefollowed,shouldbealitter,notofpuppies,butofyoungHyenas。FortheAgamogeneticseriesisalways,aswehaveseen,A:B:A:B,etc……
whereas,fortheproductionofanewspecies,theseriesmustbeA:B:
B:B,etc。Theproductionofnewspecies,orgenera,istheextremepermanentdivergencefromtheprimitivestock。AllknownAgamogeneticprocesses,ontheotherhand,endinacompletereturntotheprimitivestock。HowthenistheproductionofnewspeciestoberenderedintelligiblebytheanalogyofAgamogenesis?
[footnote]*If,onthecontrary,wefollowtheanalogyofthemorecomplexformsofAgamogenesis,suchasthatexhibitedbysome’Trematoda’andbythe’Aphides’,theHyaenamustproduce,asexually,abroodofasexualDogs,fromwhichothersexlessDogsmustproceed。Attheendofacertainnumberoftermsoftheseries,theDogswouldacquiresexesandgenerateyoung。buttheseyoungwouldbe,notDogs,butHyaenas。Infact,wehave’demonstrated’,inAgamogeneticphenomena,thatinevitablerecurrencetotheoriginaltype,whichis’asserted’tobetrueofvariationsingeneral,byMr。Darwin’sopponents。andwhich,iftheassertioncouldbechangedintoademonstrationwould,infact,befataltohishypothesis。
TheotheralternativeputbyProfessorKolliker——thepassageoffecundatedovainthecourseoftheirdevelopmentintohigherforms——would,ifitoccurred,bemerelyanextremecaseofvariationintheDarwiniansense,greaterindegreethan,butperfectlysimilarinkindto,thatwhichoccurredwhenthewell-knownAnconRamwasdevelopedfromanordinaryEwe’sovum。IndeedwehavealwaysthoughtthatMr。DarwinhasunnecessarilyhamperedhimselfbyadheringsostrictlytohisfavouriteNaturanonfacitsaltum。Wegreatlysuspectthatshedoesmakeconsiderablejumpsinthewayofvariationnowandthen,andthatthesesaltationsgiverisetosomeofthegapswhichappeartoexistintheseriesofknownforms。
StronglyandfreelyaswehaveventuredtodisagreewithProfessorKolliker,wehavealwaysdonesowithregret,andwetrustwithoutviolatingthatrespectwhichisdue,notonlytohisscientificeminenceandtothecarefulstudywhichhehasdevotedtothesubject,buttotheperfectfairnessofhisargumentation,andthegenerousappreciationoftheworthofMr。Darwin’slabourswhichhealwaysdisplays。ItwouldbesatisfactorytobeabletosayasmuchforM。
Flourens。
ButthePerpetualSecretaryoftheFrenchAcademyofSciencesdealswithMr。DarwinasthefirstNapoleonwouldhavetreatedanideologue。
andwhiledisplayingapainfulweaknessoflogicandshallownessofinformation,assumesatoneofauthority,whichalwaystouchesupontheludicrous,andsometimespassesthelimitsofgoodbreeding。
Forexamplep。56:——
M。Darwincontinue:’Aucunedistinctionabsoluen’aeteetnepoutetreetablieentrelesesp_cesetlesvarietes。’Jevousaidejaditquevousvoustrompiez。unedistinctionabsolueseparelesvarietesd’aveclesespeces。
Jevousaidejadit。moi,M。leSecretaireperpetueldel’AcademiedesSciences:etvous’Quin’etesrien,PasmemeAcademicien。’
whatdoyoumeanbyassertingthecontrary?BeingdevoidoftheblessingsofanAcademyinEngland,weareunaccustomedtoseeourablestmentreatedinthisfashion,evenbyaPerpetualSecretary。
Oragain,consideringthatifthereisanyonequalityofMr。Darwin’sworktowhichfriendsandfoeshavealikebornewitness,itishiscandourandfairnessinadmittinganddiscussingobjections,whatistobethoughtofM。Flourens’assertion,thatM。Darwinnecitequelesauteursquipartagentsesopinions。P。
40。
Oncemorep。65:——
Enfinl’ouvragedeM。Darwinaparu。Onnepeutqu’etrefrappedutalentdel’auteur。Maisqued’ideesobscures,qued’ideesfausses!
Queljargonmetaphysiquejetemalaproposdansl’histoirenaturelle,quitombedanslegalimatiasdesqu’ellesortdesideesclaires,desideesjustes!Quellangagepretentieuxetvide!Quellespersonificationspuerilesetsurannees!Olucidite!Osoliditedel’espritFrancais,quedevenez-vous?
Obscureideas,metaphysicaljargon,pretentiousandemptylanguage,puerileandsuperannuatedpersonifications。Mr。DarwinhasmanyandhotopponentsonthissideoftheChannelandinGermany,butwedonotrecollecttohavefoundpreciselythesesinsinthelongcatalogueofthosehithertolaidtohischarge。Itisworthwhile,therefore,toexamineintothesediscoverieseffectedsolelybytheaidofthelucidityandsolidityofthemindofM。Flourens。
AccordingtoM。Flourens,Mr。Darwin’sgreaterroristhathehaspersonifiedNaturep。10,andfurtherthathehasimaginedanaturalselection:heimaginesafterwardsthatthispowerofselectionpouvoird’_lirewhichhegivestoNatureissimilartothepowerofman。Thesetwosuppositionsadmitted,nothingstopshim:
heplayswithNatureashelikes,andmakesherdoallhepleases。
P。6。
AndthisisthewayM。Flourensextinguishesnaturalselection:
Voyonsdoncencoreunefois,cequ’ilpeutyavoirdefondedanscequ’onnommeelectionnaturelle。
L’electionnaturellen’estsousunautrenomquelanature。Pourunetreorganise,lanaturen’estquel’organisation,niplusnimoins。
Ilfaudradoncaussipersonnifierl’organisation,etdirequel’organisationchoisitl’organisation。L’electionnaturelleestcetteformesubstantielledontonjouaitautrefoisavectantdefacilite。
Aristotedisaitque’Sil’artdebatiretaitdanslebois,cetartagiraitcommelanature。’Alaplacedel’artdebatirM。Darwinmetl’electionnaturelle,etc’esttoutun:l’unn’estpaspluschimeriquequel’autre。P。31。
AndthisisreallyallthatM。FlourenscanmakeofNaturalSelection。
Wehavegiventheoriginal,infearlestatranslationshouldberegardedasatravesty。butwiththeoriginalbeforethereader,wemaytrytoanalysethepassage。Foranorganizedbeing,Natureisonlyorganization,neithermorenorless。
Organizedbeingsthenhaveabsolutelynorelationtoinorganicnature:aplantdoesnot,dependonsoilorsunshine,climate,depthintheocean,heightaboveit。thequantityofsalinemattersinwaterhavenoinfluenceuponanimallife。thesubstitutionofcarbonicacidforoxygeninouratmospherewouldhurtnobody!ThattheseareabsurditiesnooneshouldknowbetterthanM。Flourens。buttheyarelogicaldeductionsfromtheassertionjustquoted,andfromthefurtherstatementthatnaturalselectionmeansonlythatorganizationchoosesandselectsorganization。
ForifitbeonceadmittedwhatnosanemandeniesthatthechancesoflifeofanygivenorganismareincreasedbycertainconditionsAanddiminishedbytheiroppositesB,thenitismathematicallycertainthatanychangeofconditionsinthedirectionofAwillexerciseaselectiveinfluenceinfavourofthatorganism,tendingtoitsincreaseandmultiplication,whileanychangeinthedirectionofBwillexerciseaselectiveinfluenceagainstthatorganism,tendingtoitsdecreaseandextinction。
Or,ontheotherhand,conditionsremainingthesame,letagivenorganismvaryandnoonedoubtsthattheydovaryintwodirections:
intooneformabetterfittedtocopewiththeseconditionsthantheoriginalstock,andasecondblesswelladaptedtothem。Thenitisnolesscertainthattheconditionsinquestionmustexerciseaselectiveinfluenceinfavourofaandagainstb,sothatawilltendtopredominance,andbtoextirpation。
ThatM。Flourensshouldbeunabletoperceivethelogicalnecessityofthesesimplearguments,whichlieatthefoundationofallMr。Darwin’sreasoning。thatheshouldconfoundanirrefragabledeductionfromtheobservedrelationsoforganismstotheconditionswhichliearoundthem,withametaphysicalformesubstantielle,orachimericalpersonificationofthepowersofNature,wouldbeincredible,wereitnotthatotherpassagesofhisworkleavenoroomfordoubtuponthesubject。
Onimagineune’electionnaturelle’que,pourplusdemenagement,onmeditetreinconsciente,sanss’apercevoirquelecontre-senslitteralestprecisementla:’electioninconsciente’。P。52。
J’aidejaditcequ’ilfautpenserde’l’electionnaturelle’。Ou’l’electionnaturelle’n’estrien,ouc’estlanature:maislanaturedouee’d’election’,maislanaturepersonnifiee:derniereerreurduderniersiecle:Lexixefaitplusdepersonnifications。P。53。
M。Flourenscannotimagineanunconsciousselection——itisforhimacontradictioninterms。DidM。Flourensevervisitoneoftheprettiestwatering-placesoflabelleFrance,theBaied’Arcachon?Ifso,hewillprobablyhavepassedthroughthedistrictoftheLandes,andwillhavehadanopportunityofobservingtheformationofdunes
onagrandscale。Whatarethesedunes?ThewindsandwavesoftheBayofBiscayhavenotmuchconsciousness,andyettheyhavewithgreatcareselected,fromamonganinfinityofmassesofsilexofallshapesandsizes,whichhavebeensubmittedtotheiraction,allthegrainsofsandbelowacertainsize,andhaveheapedthembythemselvesoveragreatarea。Thissandhasbeenunconsciouslyselectedfromamidstthegravelinwhichitfirstlaywithasmuchprecisionasifmanhadconsciouslyselecteditbytheaidofasieve。PhysicalGeologyisfullofsuchselections——ofthepickingoutofthesoftfromthehard,ofthesolublefromtheinsoluble,ofthefusiblefromtheinfusible,bynaturalagenciestowhichwearecertainlynotinthehabitofascribingconsciousness。
Butthatwhichwindandseaaretoasandybeach,thesumofinfluences,whichwetermtheconditionsofexistence,istolivingorganisms。
Theweakaresiftedoutfromthestrong。Afrostynightselectsthehardyplantsinaplantationfromamongthetenderonesaseffectuallyasifitwerethewind,andthey,thesandandpebbles,ofourillustration。or,ontheotherhand,asiftheintelligenceofagardenerhadbeenoperativeincuttingtheweakerorganismsdown。Thethistle,whichhasspreadoverthePampas,tothedestructionofnativeplants,hasbeenmoreeffectuallyselectedbytheunconsciousoperationofnaturalconditionsthanifathousandagriculturistshadspenttheirtimeinsowingit。
ItisoneofMr。Darwin’smanygreatservicestoBiologicalsciencethathehasdemonstratedthesignificanceofthesefacts。Hehasshownthat——givenvariationandgivenchangeofconditions——theinevitableresultistheexerciseofsuchaninfluenceuponorganismsthatoneishelpedandanotherisimpeded。onetendstopredominate,anothertodisappear。andthusthelivingworldbearswithinitself,andissurroundedby,impulsestowardsincessantchange。
Butthetruthsjuststatedareascertainasanyotherphysicallaws,quiteindependentlyofthetruth,orfalsehood,ofthehypothesiswhichMr。Darwinhasbaseduponthem。andthatM。Flourens,missingthesubstanceandgraspingatashadow,shouldbeblindtotheadmirableexpositionofthem,whichMr。Darwinhasgiven,andseenothingtherebutaderniereerreurduderniersiecle——apersonificationofNature——leadsusindeedtocrywithhim:Olucidite!Osoliditedel’espritFrancais,quedevenez-vous?
M。Flourenshas,infact,utterlyfailedtocomprehendthefirstprinciplesofthedoctrinewhichheassailssorudely。Hisobjectionstodetailsareoftheoldsort,sobatteredandhackneyedonthissideoftheChannel,thatnotevenaQuarterlyReviewercouldbeinducedtopickthemupforthepurposeofpeltingMr。Darwinoveragain。WehaveCuvierandthemummies。M。RoulinandthedomesticatedanimalsofAmerica。thedifficultiespresentedbyhybridismandbyPalaeontology。
Darwinisma’rifacciamento’ofDeMailletandLamarck。Darwinismasystemwithoutacommencement,anditsauthorboundtobelieveinM。
Pouchet,etc。etc。Howoneknowsitallbyheart,andwithwhatreliefonereadsatp。65——
JelaisseM。Darwin!
ButwecannotleaveM。Flourenswithoutcallingourreaders’attentiontohiswonderfultenthchapter,DelaPreexistencedesGermesetdel’Epigenese,whichopensthus:——
Spontaneousgenerationisonlyachimaera。Thispointestablished,twohypothesesremain:thatof’pre-existence’andthatof’epigenesis’。Theoneofthesehypotheseshasaslittlefoundationastheother。P。163。
Thedoctrineof’epigenesis’isderivedfromHarvey:followingbyocularinspectionthedevelopmentofthenewbeingintheWindsordoes,hesaweachpartappearsuccessively,andtakingthemomentof’appearance’forthemomentof’formation’heimagined’epigenesis’。
P。165。
Onthecontrary,saysM。Flourensp。167,Thenewbeingisformedatastroke’toutd’uncoup’asawhole,instantaneously。itisnotformedpartbypart,andatdifferenttimes。
Itisformedatonceatthesingle’individual’momentatwhichtheconjunctionofthemaleandfemaleelementstakesplace。
ItwillbeobservedthatM。Flourensuseslanguagewhichcannotbemistaken。Forhim,thelaboursofvonBaer,ofRathke,ofCoste,andtheircontemporariesandsuccessorsinGermany,France,andEngland,arenon-existent:and,asDarwinimaginanaturalselection,soHarveyimaginathatdoctrinewhichgiveshimanevengreaterclaimtothevenerationofposteritythanhisbetterknowndiscoveryofthecirculationoftheblood。
Languagesuchasthatwehavequotedis,infact,sopreposterous,soutterlyincompatiblewithanythingbutabsoluteignoranceofsomeofthebestestablishedfacts,thatweshouldhavepasseditoverinsilencehaditnotappearedtoaffordsomecluetoM。Flourens’
unhesitating,’apriori’,repudiationofallformsofthedoctrineofprogressivemodificationoflivingbeings。Hewhosemindremainsuninfluencedbyanacquaintancewiththephenomenaofdevelopment,mustindeedlackoneofthechiefmotivestowardstheendeavourtotraceageneticrelationbetweenthedifferentexistingformsoflife。ThosewhoareignorantofGeology,findnodifficultyinbelievingthattheworldwasmadeasitis。andtheshepherd,untutoredinhistory,seesnoreasontoregardthegreenmoundswhichindicatethesiteofaRomancamp,asaughtbutpartandparceloftheprimevalhill-side。SoM。
Flourens,whobelievesthatembryosareformedtoutd’uncoup,
naturallyfindsnodifficultyinconceivingthatspeciescameintoexistenceinthesameway。
***
EVIDENCE
ASTO
MAN’SPLACEINNATURE
1863
[p196-entirepageisillustrationwithcaptionasfollows]
SkeletonsoftheGIBBON。ORANG。CHIMPANZEE。GORILLA。MAN。
’PhotographicallyreducedfromDiagramsofthenaturalsizeexceptthatoftheGibbon,whichwastwiceaslargeasnature,drawnbyMr。WaterhouseHawkinsfromspecimensintheMuseumoftheRoyalCollegeofSurgeons。
ONTHENATURALHISTORYOFTHE
MAN-LIKEAPES
Ancienttraditions,whentestedbythesevereprocessesofmoderninvestigation,commonlyenoughfadeawayintomeredreams:butitissingularhowoftenthedreamturnsouttohavebeenahalf-wakingone,presagingareality。Ovidforeshadowedthediscoveriesofthegeologist:theAtlantiswasanimagination,butColumbusfoundawesternworld:andthoughthequaintformsofCentaursandSatyrshaveanexistenceonlyintherealmsofart,creaturesapproachingmanmorenearlythantheyinessentialstructure,andyetasthoroughlybrutalasthegoat’sorhorse’shalfofthemythicalcompound,arenownotonlyknown,butnotorious。
IhavenotmetwithanynoticeofoneoftheseMAN-LIKEAPESofearlierdatethanthatcontainedinPigafetta’s’DescriptionoftheKingdomofCongo,’*drawnupfromthenotesofaPortuguesesailor,EduardoLopez,andpublishedin1598。ThetenthchapterofthisworkisentitledDeAnimalibusquaeinhacprovinciareperiuntur,andcontainsabriefpassagetotheeffectthatintheSongancountry,onthebanksoftheZaire,therearemultitudesofapes,whichaffordgreatdelighttothenoblesbyimitatinghumangestures。Asthismightapplytoalmostanykindofapes,Ishouldhavethoughtlittleofit,hadnotthebrothersDeBry,whoseengravingsillustratethework,thoughtfit,intheireleventh’Argumentum,’tofiguretwooftheseSimiaemagnatumdeliciae。SomuchoftheplateascontainstheseapesisfaithfullycopiedinthewoodcutFig。1,anditwillbeobservedthattheyaretail-less,long-armed,andlarge-eared。andaboutthesizeofChimpanzees。Itmaybethattheseapesareasmuchfigmentsoftheimaginationoftheingeniousbrothersasthewinged,two-legged,crocodile-headeddragonwhichadornsthesameplate。or,ontheotherhand,itmaybethattheartistshaveconstructedtheirdrawingsfromsomeessentiallyfaithfuldescriptionofaGorillaoraChimpanzee。
And,ineithercase,thoughthesefiguresareworthapassingnotice,theoldesttrustworthyanddefiniteaccountsofanyanimalofthiskinddatefromthe17thcentury,andareduetoanEnglishman。
[FOOTNOTE]*REGNUMCONGO:hocestVERADESCRIPTIOREGNI
AFRICANIQUODTAMABINCOLISQUAMLUSITANISCONGUS
APPELLATUR,perPhilippumPigafettam,olimexEdoardoLopezacroamatislinguaItalicaexcerpta,numLatiosermonedonataabAugust。Cassiod。Reinio。Iconibusetimaginibusrerummemorabiliumquasivivis,operaetindustriaJoan。TheodorietJoan。IsraelisdeBry,fratrumexornata。Francofurti,MDXCVIII。
FIG。1——SIMIAEMAGNATUMDELICIAE——DeBry,1598。
Thefirsteditionofthatmostamusingoldbook,’PurchashisPilgrimage,’waspublishedin1613,andthereinaretobefoundmanyreferencestothestatementsofonewhomPurchastermsAndrewBattellmyneereneighbour,dwellingatLeighinEssexwhoservedunderManuelSilveraPerera,GovernorundertheKingofSpaine,athiscityofSaintPaul,andwithhimwentfarreintothecountreyofAngola。andagain,myfriend,AndrewBattle,wholivedinthekingdomofCongomanyyeares,andwho,uponsomequarellbetwixtthePortugalsamongwhomhewasasergeantofabandandhim,livedeightorninemonethsinthewoodes。Fromthisweather-beatenoldsoldier,PurchaswasamazedtohearofakindeofGreatApes,iftheymightsobeetermed,oftheheightofaman,buttwiceasbiggeinfeatureoftheirlimmes,withstrengthproportionable,hairieallover,otherwisealtogetherlikemenandwomenintheirwholebodilyshape。*Theylivedonsuchwildefruitsasthetreesandwoodsyielded,andinthenighttimelodgedonthetrees。
[footnote]*Exceptthisthattheirleggeshadnocalves——[Ed。1626。]Andinamarginalnote,ThesegreatapesarecalledPongo’s。
Thisextractis,however,lessdetailedandclearinitsstatementsthanapassageinthethirdchapterofthesecondpartofanotherwork——’PurchashisPilgrimes,’publishedin1625,bythesameauthor——whichhasbeenoften,thoughhardlyeverquiterightly,cited。
Thechapterisentitled,ThestrangeadventuresofAndrewBattell,ofLeighinEssex,sentbythePortugalsprisonertoAngola,wholivedthereandintheadioiningregionsneereeighteeneyeeres。Andthesixthsectionofthischapterisheaded——OftheProvincesofBongo,Calongo,Mayombe,Manikesocke,Motimbas:oftheApeMonsterPongo,theirhunting:Idolatries。anddiversotherobservations。
ThisprovinceCalongotowardtheeastborderethuponBongo,andtowardthenorthuponMayombe,whichisnineteenleaguesfromLongoalongthecoast。
ThisprovinceofMayombeisallwoodsandgroves,soover-grownethatamanmaytravailetwentiedaysintheshadowwithoutanysunneorheat。
Hereisnokindofcornenorgraine,sothatthepeoplelivethonelyuponplantanesandrootsofsundriesorts,verygood。andnuts。noranykindeoftamecattell,norhens。
Buttheyhavegreatstoreofelephant’sflesh,whichtheygreatlyesteeme,andmanykindsofwildbeasts。andgreatstoreoffish。Hereisagreatsandybay,twoleaguestothenorthwardofCapeNegro,*
whichistheportofMayombe。SometimesthePortugalsladelogwoodinthisbay。Hereisagreatriver,calledBanna:inthewinterithathnobarre,becausethegenerallwindscauseagreatsea。Butwhenthesunnehathhissouthdeclination,thenaboatmaygoein。forthenitissmoothbecauseoftheraine。Thisriverisverygreat,andhathmanyilandsandpeopledwellinginthem。Thewoodsaresocoveredwithbaboones,monkies,apesandparrots,thatitwillfeareanymantotravaileinthemalone。Herearealsotwokindsofmonsters,whicharecommoninthesewoods,andverydangerous。
[footnote]*’Purchas’note’——CapeNegroisin16degreessouthoftheline。
ThegreatestofthesetwomonstersiscalledPongointheirlanguage,andthelesseriscalledEngeco。ThisPongoisinallproportionlikeaman。butthatheismorelikeagiantinstaturethanaman。forheisverytall,andhathaman’sface,hollow-eyed,withlonghaireuponhisbrowes。Hisfaceandearesarewithouthaire,andhishandsalso。
Hisbodieisfullofhaire,butnotverythicke。anditisofadunnishcolour。
Hedifferethnotfromamanbutinhislegs。fortheyhavenocalfe。
Heegoethalwaiesuponhislegs,andcarriethhishandsclaspedinthenapeofhisneckewhenhegoethupontheground。Theysleepeinthetrees,andbuildsheltersfortheraine。Theyfeeduponfruitthattheyfindinthewoods,anduponnuts,fortheyeatenokindofflesh。
Theycannotspeake,andhavenounderstandingmorethanabeast。Thepeopleofthecountrie,whentheytravaileinthewoodsmakefireswheretheysleepeinthenight。andinthemorningwhentheyaregone,thePongoeswillcomeandsitaboutthefiretillitgoethout。fortheyhavenounderstandingtolaythewoodtogether。Theygoemanytogetherandkillmanynegroesthattravaileinthewoods。Manytimestheyfallupontheelephantswhichcometofeedwheretheybe,andsobeatethemwiththeirclubbedfists,andpiecesofwood,thattheywillrunneroaringawayfromthem。ThosePongoesarenevertakenalivebecausetheyaresostrong,thattenmencannotholdoneofthem。butyettheytakemanyoftheiryoungoneswithpoisonedarrowes。
TheyoungPongohangethonhismother’sbellywithhishandsfastclaspedabouther,sothatwhenthecountriepeoplekillanyofthefemalestheytaketheyoungone,whichhangethfastuponhismother。
Whentheydieamongthemselves,theycoverthedeadwithgreatheapsofboughsandwood,whichiscommonlyfoundintheforest。*
[footnote]*Purchas’marginalnote,p。982:——ThePongoagiantape。Hetoldmeinconferencewithhim,thatoneofthesepongoestookeanegroboyofhiswhichlivedamonethwiththem。Fortheyhurtnotthosewhichtheysurpriseatunawares,excepttheylookonthem。whichheavoyded。Hesaidtheirhighthwaslikeaman’s,buttheirbignessetwiceasgreat。Isawthenegroboy。Whattheothermonstershouldbehehathforgottentorelate。andthesepaperscametomyhandsincehisdeath,which,otherwise,inmyoftenconferences,Imighthavelearned。PerhapshemeaneththePigmyPongokillersmentioned。
ItdoesnotappeardifficulttoidentifytheexactregionofwhichBattellspeaks。LongoisdoubtlessthenameoftheplaceusuallyspelledLoangoonourmaps。MayombestillliessomenineteenleaguesnorthwardfromLoango,alongthecoast。andCilongoorKilonga,Manikesocke,andMotimbasareyetregisteredbygeographers。TheCapeNegroofBattell,however,cannotbethemodernCapeNegroin16
degreesS。,sinceLoangoitselfisin4degreesS。latitude。Ontheotherhand,thegreatrivercalledBannacorrespondsverywellwiththeCammaandFernandVas,ofmoderngeographers,whichformagreatdeltaonthispartoftheAfricancoast。
NowthisCammacountryissituatedaboutadegreeanda-halfsouthoftheEquator,whileafewmilestothenorthofthelineliestheGaboon,andadegreeorsonorthofthat,theMoneyRiver——bothwellknowntomodernnaturalistsaslocalitieswherethelargestofman-likeApeshasbeenobtained。Moreover,atthepresentday,thewordEngeco,orN’schego,isappliedbythenativesoftheseregionstothesmallerofthetwogreatApeswhichinhabitthem。sothattherecanbenorationaldoubtthatAndrewBattellspokeofthatwhichheknewofhisownknowledge,or,atanyrate,byimmediatereportfromthenativesofWesternAfrica。TheEngeco,however,isthatothermonsterwhosenatureBattellforgottorelate,whilethenamePongo——appliedtotheanimalwhosecharactersandhabitsaresofullyandcarefullydescribed——seemstohavediedout,atleastinitsprimitiveformandsignification。Indeed,thereisevidencethatnotonlyinBattell’stime,butuptoaveryrecentdate,itwasusedinatotallydifferentsensefromthatinwhichheemploysit。
Forexample,thesecondchapterofPurchas’work,whichIhavejustquoted,containsADescriptionandHistoricallDeclarationoftheGoldenKingdomofGuinea,etc。etc。TranslatedfromtheDutch,andcomparedalsowiththeLatin,whereinitisstatedp。986that——
TheRiverGaboonlyethaboutfifteenmilesnorthwardfromRiodeAngra,andeightmilesnorthwardfromCapedeLopeGonsalvesCapeLopez,andisrightundertheEquinoctialline,aboutfifteenemilesfromSt。
Thomas,andisagreatland,wellandeasilytobeknowne。Atthemouthoftheriverthereliethasand,threeorfourefathomsdeepe,whereonitbeatethmightilywiththestreamewhichrunnethoutoftheriverintothesea。Thisriver,inthemouththereof,isatleastfourmilesbroad。butwhenyouareabouttheIlandcalled’Pongo’,itisnotabovetwomilesbroad……Onbothsidestherivertherestandethmanytrees……TheIlandcalled’Pongo’,whichhathamonstroushighhill。
FIG2——TheOrangofTulpius,1641。
TheFrenchnavalofficers,whoselettersareappendedtothelateM。
IsidoreGeoff。SaintHilaire’sexcellentessayontheGorilla*,noteinsimilartermsthewidthoftheGaboon,thetreesthatlineitsbanksdowntothewater’sedge,andthestrongcurrentthatsetsoutofit。
Theydescribetwoislandsinitsestuary——onelow,calledPerroquet。
theotherhigh,presentingthreeconicalhills,calledConiquet。andoneofthem,M。Franquet,expresslystatesthat,formerly,theChiefofConiquetwascalled’Meni-Pongo’,meaningtherebyLordof’Pongo’。andthatthe’N’Pongues’as,inagreementwithDr。Savage,heaffirmsthenativescallthemselvestermtheestuaryoftheGaboonitself’N’Pongo’。
[footnote]*’ArchivesduMuseum’,tomex。
Itissoeasy,indealingwithsavages,tomisunderstandtheirapplicationsofwordstothings,thatoneisatfirstinclinedtosuspectBattellofhavingconfoundedthenameofthisregion,wherehisgreatermonsterstillabounds,withthenameoftheanimalitself。
Butheissorightaboutothermattersincludingthenameofthelessermonsterthatoneislothtosuspecttheoldtravelleroferror。and,ontheotherhand,weshallfindthatavoyagerofahundredyears’laterdatespeaksofthenameBoggoe,asappliedtoagreatApe,bytheinhabitantsofquiteanotherpartofAfrica——SierraLeone。
ButImustleavethisquestiontobesettledbyphilologersandtravellers。andIshouldhardlyhavedweltsolonguponitexceptforthecuriouspartplayedbythisword’Pongo’inthelaterhistoryoftheman-likeApes。
ThegenerationwhichsucceededBattellsawthefirstoftheman-likeApeswhichwaseverbroughttoEurope,or,atanyrate,whosevisitfoundahistorian。InthethirdbookofTulpius’’ObservationesMedicae’,publishedin1641,the56thchapterorsectionisdevotedtowhathecalls’Satyrusindicus’,calledbytheIndiansOrang-autangorMan-of-the-Woods,andbytheAfricansQuoiasMorrou。Hegivesaverygoodfigure,evidentlyfromthelife,ofthespecimenofthisanimal,nostramemoriaexAngoladelatum,presentedtoFrederickHenryPrinceofOrange。Tulpiussaysitwasasbigasachildofthreeyearsold,andasstoutasoneofsixyears:andthatitsbackwascoveredwithblackhair。ItisplainlyayoungChimpanzee。
Inthemeanwhile,theexistenceofother,Asiatic,man-likeApesbecameknown,butatfirstinaverymythicalfashion。ThusBontius1658
givesanaltogetherfabulousandridiculousaccountandfigureofananimalwhichhecallsOrang-outang。andthoughhesaysvidiEgocujuseffigiemhicexhibeo,thesaideffigiesseeFig。6forHoppius’
copyofitisnothingbutaveryhairywomanofrathercomelyaspect,andwithproportionsandfeetwhollyhuman。ThejudiciousEnglishanatomist,Tyson,wasjustifiedinsayingofthisdescriptionbyBontius,IconfessIdomistrustthewholerepresentation。
Itistothelastmentionedwriter,andhiscoadjutorCowper,thatweowethefirstaccountofaman-likeapewhichhasanypretensionstoscientificaccuracyandcompleteness。Thetreatiseentitled,’Orang-outang,siveHomoSylvestris’。ortheAnatomyofaPygmiecomparedwiththatofa’Monkey’,an’Ape’,anda’Man’,publishedbytheRoyalSocietyin1699,is,indeed,aworkofremarkablemerit,andhas,insomerespects,servedasamodeltosubsequentinquirers。ThisPygmie,TysontellsuswasbroughtfromAngola,inAfrica。butwasfirsttakenagreatdealhigherupthecountry。itshairwasofacoal-blackcolourandstrait,andwhenitwentasaquadrupedonallfour,’twasawkwardly。notplacingthepalmofthehandflattotheground,butitwalk’duponitsknuckles,asIobservedittodowhenweakandhadnotstrengthenoughtosupportitsbody——Fromthetopoftheheadtotheheelofthefoot,inastraitline,itmeasuredtwenty-sixinches。
FIGS。3and4——The’Pygmie’reducedfromTyson’sfigures1and2,1699。
Thesecharacters,evenwithoutTyson’sgoodfiguresFigs。3and4,wouldhavebeensufficienttoprovehisPygmietobeayoungChimpanzee。ButtheopportunityofexaminingtheskeletonoftheveryanimalTysonanatomisedhavingmostunexpectedlypresenteditselftome,Iamabletobearindependenttestimonytoitsbeingaveritable’Troglodytesniger’*,thoughstillveryyoung。AlthoughfullyappreciatingtheresemblancesbetweenhisPygmieandMan,Tysonbynomeansoverlookedthedifferencesbetweenthetwo,andheconcludeshismemoirbysummingupfirst,thepointsinwhichtheOurang-outangorPygmiemoreresembledaManthanApesandMonkeysdo,underforty-sevendistinctheads。andthengiving,inthirty-foursimilarbriefparagraphs,therespectsinwhichtheOurang-outangorPygmiediffer’dfromaManandresembledmoretheApeandMonkeykind。
[footnote]*IamindebtedtoDr。Wright,ofCheltenham,whosepaleontologicallaboursaresowellknown,forbringingthisinterestingrelictomyknowledge。Tyson’sgranddaughter,itappears,marriedDr。Allardyce,aphysicianofreputeinCheltenham,andbrought,aspartofherdowry,theskeletonofthe’Pygmie。’Dr。AllardycepresentedittotheCheltenhamMuseum,and,throughthegoodofficesofmyfriendDr。Wright,theauthoritiesoftheMuseumhavepermittedmetoborrow,whatis,perhapsitsmostremarkableornament。
Afteracarefulsurveyoftheliteratureofthesubjectextantinhistime,ourauthorarrivesattheconclusionthathisPygmieisidenticalneitherwiththeOrangsofTulpiusandBontius,norwiththeQuoiasMorrouofDapperorratherofTulpius,theBarrisofd’Arcos,norwiththePongoofBattell。butthatitisaspeciesofapeprobablyidenticalwiththePygmiesoftheAncients,and,saysTyson,thoughitdoessomuchresemblea’Man’inmanyofitsparts,morethananyoftheapekind,oranyother’animal’intheworld,thatIknowof:yetbynomeansdoIlookuponitastheproductofa’mixt’generation——’tisa’Brute-Animalsuigeneris’,andaparticular’speciesofApe’。
ThenameofChimpanzee,bywhichoneoftheAfricanApesisnowsowellknown,appearstohavecomeintouseinthefirsthalfoftheeighteenthcentury,buttheonlyimportantadditionmade,inthatperiod,toouracquaintancewiththeman-likeapesofAfricaiscontainedin’ANewVoyagetoGuinea’,byWilliamSmith,whichbearsthedate1744。
IndescribingtheanimalsofSierraLeone,p。51,thiswritersays:——
Ishallnextdescribeastrangesortofanimal,calledbythewhitemeninthiscountryMandrill*,butwhyitissocalledIknownot,nordidIeverhearthenamebefore,neithercanthosewhocallthemsotell,exceptitbefortheirnearresemblanceofahumancreature,thoughnothingatalllikeanApe。Theirbodies,whenfullgrown,areasbigincircumferenceasamiddle-sizedman’s——theirlegsmuchshorter,andtheirfeetlarger。theirarmsandhandsinproportion。Theheadismonstrouslybig,andthefacebroadandflat,withoutanyotherhairbuttheeyebrows。thenoseverysmall,themouthwide,andthelipsthin。Theface,whichiscoveredbyawhiteskin,ismonstrouslyugly,beingalloverwrinkledaswitholdage。theteethbroadandyellow。
thehandshavenomorehairthantheface,butthesamewhiteskin,thoughalltherestofthebodyiscoveredwithlongblackhair,likeabear。Theynevergouponallfours,likeapes。butcry,whenvexedorteased,justlikechildren……
[footnote]*Mandrillseemstosignifyaman-likeape,
thewordDrillorDrilhavingbeenancientlyemployedinEnglandtodenoteanApeorBaboon。ThusinthefiftheditionofBlount’sGlossographia,oraDictionaryinterpretingthehardwordsofwhatsoeverlanguagenowusedinourrefinedEnglishtongue……veryusefulforallsuchasdesiretounderstandwhattheyread,publishedin1681,I
find,Dril——astone-cutter’stoolwherewithheboreslittleholesinmarble,etc。AlsoalargeovergrownApeandBaboon,socalled。DrillisusedinthesamesenseinCharleton’sOnomasticonZoicon,1668。ThesingularetymologyofthewordgivenbyBuffonseemshardlyaprobableone。
FIG。5——FacsimileofWilliamSmith’sfigureoftheMandrill,1744。
WhenIwasatSherbro,oneMr。Cummerbus,whomIshallhaveoccasionhereaftertomention,mademeapresentofoneofthesestrangeanimals,whicharecalledbythenativesBoggoe:itwasashe-cub,ofsixmonths’age,buteventhenlargerthanaBaboon。Igaveitinchargetooneoftheslaves,whoknewhowtofeedandnurseit,beingaverytendersortofanimal。butwheneverIwentoffthedeckthesailorsbegantoteazeit——somelovedtoseeitstearsandhearitcry。
othershateditssnottynose。onewhohurtit,beingcheckedbythenegrothattookcareofit,toldtheslavehewasveryfondofhiscountry-woman,andaskedhimifheshouldnotlikeherforawife?Towhichtheslaveveryreadilyreplied,’No,thisnomywife。thisawhitewoman——thisfitwifeforyou。’Thisunluckywitofthenegro’s,I
fancy,hasteneditsdeath,fornextmorningitwasfounddeadunderthewindlass。
WilliamSmith’s’Mandrill,’or’Boggoe,’ashisdescriptionandfiguretestify,was,withoutdoubt,aChimpanzee。
FIG。6——TheAnthropomorphaofLinnaeus。
Linnaeusknewnothing,ofhisownobservation,oftheman-likeApesofeitherAfricaorAsia,butadissertationbyhispupilHoppiusinthe’AmoenitatesAcademicae’VI。’Anthropomorpha’mayberegardedasembodyinghisviewsrespectingtheseanimals。
Thedissertationisillustratedbyaplate,ofwhichtheaccompanyingwoodcut,Fig,6,isareducedcopy,Thefiguresareentitledfromlefttoright1。’TroglodytaBontii’。2。’LuciferAldrovandi’。3。
’SatyrusTulpii’。4。’PygmaeusEdwardi’。ThefirstisabadcopyofBontius’fictitious’Ourang-outang,’inwhoseexistence,however,Linnaeusappearstohavefullybelieved。forinthestandardeditionofthe’SystemaNaturae’,itisenumeratedasasecondspeciesofHomo。
H。nocturnus。’LuciferAldrovandi’isacopyofafigureinAldrovandus,’DeQuadrupedibusdigitatisviviparis’,Lib。2,p。249
1645,entitledCercopithecusformaerarae’Barbilius’vocatusetoriginemachinaducebat。Hoppiusisofopinionthatthismaybeoneofthatcat-tailedpeople,ofwhomNicolausKopingaffirmsthattheyeataboat’screw,gubernatornavisandall!Inthe’SystemaNaturae’
Linnaeuscallsitinanote,’Homocaudatus’,andseemsinclinedtoregarditasathirdspeciesofman。AccordingtoTemminck,’SatyrusTulpii’isacopyofthefigureofaChimpanzeepublishedbyScotinin1738,whichIhavenotseen。Itisthe’Satyrusindicus’ofthe’SystemaNaturae’,andisregardedbyLinnaeusaspossiblyadistinctspeciesfrom’Satyrussylvestris’。Thelast,named’PygmaeusEdwardi’,iscopiedfromthefigureofayoungManoftheWoods,ortrueOrang-Utan,giveninEdwards’’GleaningsofNaturalHistory’1758。
Buffonwasmorefortunatethanhisgreatrival。NotonlyhadhetherareopportunityofexaminingayoungChimpanzeeinthelivingstate,buthebecamepossessedofanadultAsiaticman-likeApe——thefirstandthelastadultspecimenofanyoftheseanimalsbroughttoEuropeformanyyears。WiththevaluableassistanceofDaubenton,Buffongaveanexcellentdescriptionofthiscreature,which,fromitssingularproportions,hetermedthelong-armedApe,orGibbon。Itisthemodern’Hylobateslar’。
Thuswhen,in1766,Buffonwrotethefourteenthvolumeofhisgreatwork,hewaspersonallyfamiliarwiththeyoungofonekindofAfricanman-likeApe,andwiththeadultofanAsiaticspecies——whiletheOrang-UtanandtheMandrillofSmithwereknowntohimbyreport。
Furthermore,theAbbePrevosthadtranslatedagooddealofPurchas’
PilgrimsintoFrench,inhis’HistoiregeneraledesVoyages’1748,andthereBuffonfoundaversionofAndrewBattell’saccountofthePongoandtheEngeco。AllthesedataBuffonattemptstoweldtogetherintoharmonyinhischapterentitledLesOrang-outangsoulePongoetleJocko。Tothistitlethefollowingnoteisappended:——
Orang-outangnomdecetanimalauxIndesorientales:PongonomdecetanimalaLowandoProvincedeCongo。
Jocko,Enjocko,nomdecetanimalaCongoquenousavonsadopte。’En’
estl’articlequenousavonsretranche。
ThusitwasthatAndrewBattell’sEngecobecamemetamorphosedintoJocko,and,inthelattershape,wasspreadallovertheworld,inconsequenceoftheextensivepopularityofBuffon’sworks。TheAbbePrevostandBuffonbetweenthem,however,didagooddealmoredisfigurementtoBattell’ssoberaccountthan’cuttingoffanarticle。’
ThusBattell’sstatementthatthePongoscannotspeake,andhavenounderstandingmorethanabeast,isrenderedbyBuffonqu’ilnepeutparler’quoiqu’ilaitplusd’entendementquelesautresanimaux’。andagain,Purchas’affirmation,Hetoldmeinconferencewithhim,thatoneofthesePongostookeanegroboyofhiswhichlivedamonethwiththem,standsintheFrenchversion,unpongoluienlevaunpetitnegrequipassaun’an’entierdanslasocietedecesanimaux。
AfterquotingtheaccountofthegreatPongo,Buffonjustlyremarks,thatallthe’Jockos’and’Orangs’hithertobroughttoEuropewereyoung。andhesuggeststhat,intheiradultcondition,theymightbeasbigasthePongoor’greatOrang’。sothat,provisionally,heregardedtheJockos,Orangs,andPongosasallofonespecies。Andperhapsthiswasasmuchasthestateofknowledgeatthetimewarranted。ButhowitcameaboutthatBuffonfailedtoperceivethesimilarityofSmith’s’Mandrill’tohisown’Jocko,’andconfoundedtheformerwithsototallydifferentacreatureastheblue-facedBaboon,isnotsoeasilyintelligible。
TwentyyearslaterBuffonchangedhisopinion,*andexpressedhisbeliefthattheOrangsconstitutedagenuswithtwospecies,——alargeone,thePongoofBattell,andasmallone,theJocko:thatthesmalloneJockoistheEastIndianOrang。andthattheyounganimalsfromAfrica,observedbyhimselfandTulpius,aresimplyyoungPongos。
[footnote]*’HistoireNaturelle’,Suppl。tome7eme,1789。
Inthemeanwhile,theDutchnaturalist,Vosmaer,gave,in1778,averygoodaccountandfigureofayoungOrang,broughtalivetoHolland,andhiscountryman,thefamousanatomist,PeterCamper,published1779anessayontheOrang-UtanofsimilarvaluetothatofTysonontheChimpanzee。Hedissectedseveralfemalesandamale,allofwhich,fromthestateoftheirskeletonandtheirdentition,hejustlysupposestohavebeenyoung。However,judgingbytheanalogyofman,heconcludesthattheycouldnothaveexceededfourfeetinheightintheadultcondition。Furthermore,heisveryclearastothespecificdistinctnessofthetrueEastIndianOrang。
TheOrang,sayshe,differsnotonlyfromthePigmyofTysonandfromtheOrangofTulpiusbyitspeculiarcolouranditslongtoes,butalsobyitswholeexternalform。Itsarms,itshands,anditsfeetarelonger,whilethethumbs,onthecontrary,aremuchshorter,andthegreattoesmuchsmallerinproportion。*Andagain,ThetrueOrang,thatistosay,thatofAsia,thatofBorneo,isconsequentlynotthePithecus,ortaillessApe,whichtheGreeks,andespeciallyGalen,havedescribed。ItisneitherthePongonortheJocko,northeOrangofTulpius,northePigmyofTyson,——’itisananimalofapeculiarspecies’,asIshallproveintheclearestmannerbytheorgansofvoiceandtheskeletoninthefollowingchaptersl。c。p。64。
[footnote]*Camper,’Oeuvres’,i。p。56。
Afewyearslater,M。Radermacher,whoheldahighofficeintheGovernmentoftheDutchdominionsinIndia,andwasanactivememberoftheBatavianSocietyofArtsandSciences,published,inthesecondpartoftheTransactionsofthatSociety,*aDescriptionoftheIslandofBorneo,whichwaswrittenbetweentheyears1779and1781,and,amongmuchotherinterestingmatter,containssomenotesupontheOrang。ThesmallsortofOrang-Utan,viz。thatofVosmaerandofEdwards,hesays,isfoundonlyinBorneo,andchieflyaboutBanjermassing,Mampauwa,andLandak。OfthesehehadseensomefiftyduringhisresidenceintheIndies。butnoneexceeded21/2feetinlength。Thelargersort,oftenregardedasachimaera,continuesRadermacher,wouldperhapslonghaveremainedso,haditnotbeenfortheexertionsoftheResidentatRembang,M。Palm,who,onreturningfromLandaktowardsPontiana,shotone,andforwardedittoBataviainspirit,fortransmissiontoEurope。
[footnote]*VerhandelingenvanhetBataviaaschGenootschap。
TweedeDeel。DerdeDruk。1826。
Palm’sletterdescribingthecapturerunsthus:——HerewithIsendyourExcellency,contrarytoallexpectationsincelongagoIofferedmorethanahundredducatstothenativesforanOrang-UtanoffourorfivefeethighanOrangwhichIheardofthismorningabouteighto’clock。
ForalongtimewedidourbesttotakethefrightfulbeastaliveinthedenseforestabouthalfwaytoLandak。Weforgoteventoeat,soanxiouswerewenottolethimescape。butitwasnecessarytotakecarethathedidnotrevengehimself,ashekeptcontinuallybreakingoffheavypiecesofwoodandgreenbranches,anddashingthematus。
Thisgamelastedtillfouro’clockintheafternoon,whenwedeterminedtoshoothim。inwhichIsucceededverywell,andindeedbetterthanI
evershotfromaboatbefore。forthebulletwentjustintothesideofhischest,sothathewasnotmuchdamaged。Wegothimintotheprowstillliving,andboundhimfast,andnextmorninghediedofhiswounds。AllPontianacameonboardtoseehimwhenwearrived。Palmgiveshisheightfromtheheadtotheheelas49inches。
FIG。7——ThePongoSkull,sentbyRadermachertoCamper,afterCamper’soriginalsketches,asreproducedbyLucae。
AveryintelligentGermanofficer,BaronVonWurmb,whoatthistimeheldapostintheDutchEastIndiaservice,andwasSecretaryoftheBatavianSociety,studiedthisanimal,andhiscarefuldescriptionofit,entitledBeschrijvingvanderGrooteBorneoscheOrang-outangofdeOost-IndischePongo,iscontainedinthesamevolumeoftheBatavianSociety’sTransactions。AfterVonWurmbhaddrawnuphisdescriptionhestates,inaletterdatedBatavia,Feb。18,1781,*thatthespecimenwassenttoEuropeinbrandytobeplacedinthecollectionofthePrinceofOrange。unfortunately,hecontinues,wehearthattheshiphasbeenwrecked。VonWurmbdiedinthecourseoftheyear1781,theletterinwhichthispassageoccursbeingthelasthewrote。butinhisposthumouspapers,publishedinthefourthpartoftheTransactionsoftheBatavianSociety,thereisabriefdescription,withmeasurements,ofafemalePongofourfeethigh。
[footnote]BriefedesHerrnv。WurmbunddesH。BaronvonWollzogen。Gotha,1794。
Dideitheroftheseoriginalspecimens,onwhichVonWurmb’sdescriptionsarebased,everreachEurope?Itiscommonlysupposedthattheydid。butIdoubtthefact。For,appendedtothememoir’Del’Ourang-outang,’inthecollectededitionofCamper’sworks,tomei。,pp。64-66,isanotebyCamperhimself,referringtoVonWurmb’spapers,andcontinuingthus:——Heretofore,thiskindofapehadneverbeenknowninEurope。Radermacherhashadthekindnesstosendmetheskullofoneoftheseanimals,whichmeasuredfifty-threeinches,orfourfeetfiveinches,inheight。IhavesentsomesketchesofittoM。
SoemmeringatMayence,whicharebettercalculated,however,togiveanideaoftheformthanoftherealsizeoftheparts。
ThesesketcheshavebeenreproducedbyFischerandbyLucae,andbeardate1783,Soemmeringhavingreceivedthemin1784。HadeitherofVonWurmb’sspecimensreachedHolland,theywouldhardlyhavebeenunknownatthistimetoCamper,who,however,goesontosay——Itappearsthatsincethis,somemoreofthesemonstershavebeencaptured,foranentireskeleton,verybadlysetup,whichhadbeensenttotheMuseumofthePrinceofOrange,andwhichIsawonlyonthe27thofJune,1784,wasmorethanfourfeethigh。Iexaminedthisskeletonagainonthe19thDecember,1785,afterithadbeenexcellentlyputtorightsbytheingeniousOnymus。
Itappearsevident,then,thatthisskeleton,whichisdoubtlessthatwhichhasalwaysgonebythenameofWurmb’sPongo,isnotthatoftheanimaldescribedbyhim,thoughunquestionablysimilarinallessentialpoints。
Camperproceedstonotesomeofthemostimportantfeaturesofthisskeleton。promisestodescribeitindetailby-and-bye。andisevidentlyindoubtastotherelationofthisgreat’Pongo’tohispetitOrang。
Thepromisedfurtherinvestigationswerenevercarriedout。andsoithappenedthatthePongoofVonWurmbtookitsplacebythesideoftheChimpanzee,Gibbon,andOrangasafourthandcolossalspeciesofman-likeApe。AndindeednothingcouldlookmuchlessliketheChimpanzeesortheOrangs,thenknown,thanthePongo。forallthespecimensofChimpanzeeandOrangwhichhadbeenobservedweresmallofstature,singularlyhumaninaspect,gentleanddocile。whileWurmb’sPongowasamonsteralmosttwicetheirsize,ofvaststrengthandfierceness,andverybrutalinexpression。itsgreatprojectingmuzzle,armedwithstrongteeth,beingfurtherdisfiguredbytheoutgrowthofthecheeksintofleshylobes。
Eventually,inaccordancewiththeusualmaraudinghabitsoftheRevolutionaryarmies,the’Pongo’skeletonwascarriedawayfromHollandintoFrance,andnoticesofit,expresslyintendedtodemonstrateitsentiredistinctnessfromtheOranganditsaffinitywiththebaboons,weregiven,in1798,byGeoffroySt。HilaireandCuvier。
EveninCuvier’s’TableauElementaire’,andinthefirsteditionofhisgreatwork,the’RegneAnimal’,the’Pongo’isclassedasaspeciesofBaboon。However,soearlyas1818,itappearsthatCuviersawreasontoalterthisopinion,andtoadopttheviewsuggestedseveralyearsbeforebyBlumenbach,*andafterhimbyTilesius,thattheBorneanPongoissimplyanadultOrang。In1824,Rudolphidemonstrated,bytheconditionofthedentition,morefullyandcompletelythanhadbeendonebyhispredecessors,thattheOrangsdescribeduptothattimewereallyounganimals,andthattheskullandteethoftheadultwouldprobablybesuchasthoseseeninthePongoofWurmb。Inthesecondeditionofthe’RegneAnimal’1829,Cuvierinfers,fromthe’proportionsofalltheparts’and’thearrangementsoftheforaminaandsuturesofthehead,’thatthePongoistheadultoftheOrang-Utan,’atleastofaverycloselyalliedspecies,’andthisconclusionwaseventuallyplacedbeyondalldoubtbyProfessorOwen’sMemoirpublishedinthe’ZoologicalTransactions’for1835,andbyTemminckinhis’MonographiesdeMammalogie’。Temminck’smemoirisremarkableforthecompletenessoftheevidencewhichitaffordsastothemodificationwhichtheformoftheOrangundergoesaccordingtoageandsex。TiedemannfirstpublishedanaccountofthebrainoftheyoungOrang,whileSandifort,MullerandSchlegel,describedthemusclesandthevisceraoftheadult,andgavetheearliestdetailedandtrustworthyhistoryofthehabitsofthegreatIndianApeinastateofnature。andasimportantadditionshavebeenmadebylaterobservers,weareatthismomentbetteracquaintedwiththeadultoftheOrang-Utan,thanwiththatofanyoftheothergreaterman-likeApes。
[footnote]*SeeBlumenbach,’AbbildungenNaturhistorichenGegenstande,No。12,1810。andTilesius,NaturhistoricheFruchtedererstenKaiserlich-RussischenErdumsegelung’,p。
115,1813。
ItiscertainlythePongoofWurmb。*anditisascertainlynotthePongoofBattell,seeingthattheOrang-UtanisentirelyconfinedtothegreatAsiaticislandsofBorneoandSumatra。
[footnote]*Speakingbroadlyandwithoutprejudicetothequestion,whethertherebemorethanonespeciesofOrang。
AndwhiletheprogressofdiscoverythusclearedupthehistoryoftheOrang,italsobecameestablishedthattheonlyotherman-likeApesintheeasternworldwerethevariousspeciesofGibbon——Apesofsmallerstature,andthereforeattractinglessattentionthantheOrangs,thoughtheyarespreadoveramuchwiderrangeofcountry,andarehencemoreaccessibletoobservation。
Althoughthegeographicalareainhabitedbythe’Pongo’andEngecoofBattellissomuchnearertoEuropethanthatinwhichtheOrangandGibbonarefound,ouracquaintancewiththeAfricanApeshasbeenofslowergrowth。indeed,itisonlywithinthelastfewyearsthatthetruthfulstoryoftheoldEnglishadventurerhasbeenrenderedfullyintelligible。Itwasnotuntil1835thattheskeletonoftheadultChimpanzeebecameknown,bythepublicationofProfessorOwen’sabove-mentionedveryexcellentmemoir’OntheosteologyoftheChimpanzeeandOrang’,inthe’ZoologicalTransactions’——amemoirwhich,bytheaccuracyofitsdescriptions,thecarefulnessofitscomparisons,andtheexcellenceofitsfigures,madeanepochinthehistoryofourknowledgeofthebonyframework,notonlyoftheChimpanzee,butofalltheanthropoidApes。
Bytheinvestigationshereindetailed,itbecameevidentthattheoldChimpanzeeacquiredasizeandaspectasdifferentfromthoseoftheyoungknowntoTyson,toBuffon,andtoTraill,asthoseoftheoldOrangfromtheyoungOrang。andthesubsequentveryimportantresearchesofMessrs。SavageandWyman,theAmericanmissionaryandanatomist,havenotonlyconfirmedthisconclusion,buthaveaddedmanynewdetails。*
[footnote]*SeeObservationsontheexternalcharactersandhabitsoftheTroglodytesniger,byThomasN。Savage,M。D。,andonitsorganizationbyJeffriesWyman,M。D。,’BostonJournalofNaturalHistory’,vol。iv。,1843-4。andExternalcharacters,habits,andosteologyofTroglodytesGorilla,bythesameauthors,’ibid’。,vol。v。,1847。
OneofthemostinterestingamongthemanyvaluablediscoveriesmadebyDr。ThomasSavageisthefact,thatthenativesintheGabooncountryatthepresentday,applytotheChimpanzeeaname——Enche-eko——whichisobviouslyidenticalwiththeEngekoofBattell。adiscoverywhichhasbeenconfirmedbyalllaterinquirers。Battell’slessermonster
beingthusprovedtobeaveritableexistence,ofcourseastrongpresumptionarosethathisgreatermonster,the’Pongo,’wouldsoonerorlaterbediscovered。And,indeed,amoderntraveller,Bowdich,had,in1819,foundstrongevidence,amongthenatives,oftheexistenceofasecondgreatApe,calledthe’Ingena,’fivefeethigh,andfouracrosstheshoulders,thebuilderofarudehouse,ontheoutsideofwhichitslept。