首页 >出版文学> The Present Condition of Organic Nature>第6章
  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。