382 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



prey ; so that with, the monkey there is a definite association 

 between loose bark and food. With the child the reason for 

 picking at loose things has been lost, but the instinct to pick 

 remains as a vestigial survival, traceable to a definite food- 

 acquiring instinct of the monkey. There may also have been an 

 association with the monkey habit of picking out one another's 

 parasites, a habit which is very noticeable among them. 



To those people, and they are many, who scornfully repudiate 

 their monkey ancestry, it may seem farfetched to notice such a 

 childish habit, and to assert that it had any such origin ; but 

 many instances may be cited of habits acquired for some bene- 

 ficial purpose, or in connection with some particular circum- 

 stances of life, persisting both in the life of the individual and 

 also being perpetuated in the race long after the reason for the 

 habit has been forgotten not unlike superstitious ceremonies 

 and religious observances which survive in a similar way. Thus 

 there is the fear of women for snakes, and the consequent loath- 

 ing and hatred feelings which seem so unreasonable to many of 

 the strong-minded people of the present day. We have written 

 evidence that these feelings were subject of comment at a very 

 early age of man's intelligence ; and it may readily be surmised 

 that the story of Genesis is only the written account of what had 

 been verbally told for many generations. Mythical as it is, it 

 seems a most ingenious method of accounting for certain ob- 

 served facts ; and that the facts were observed reflects consider- 

 able credit on the observers. As mythology it takes high rank ; 

 its very naivete adds to its charm. " Whence arise these feelings 

 in respect of snakes? "was the inquiry; and in answer thereto 

 the legend gradually grew up, that " the snake was the tempter ; 

 of the presumed mother of all. Eve ; he is just such as would be 

 a tempter; his very habits, stealthy, gliding, silent, self-conceal- 

 ing, show at once that he ' is more subtil than any beast of the 

 field.' Because he temjDted Eve these feelings have arisen on the 

 part of woman. The Lord God, when he found that Eve fell 

 because of the serpent's temptation, said in his anger, ' I will put 

 enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and 

 her seed.' That accounts for what we observe ; it is all very 

 plain." So said the sages of old. It is truly ingenious ; but 

 science gives a more simple interpretation, and yet an interpreta- 

 tion which, because it does not pander to the religious self-pride 

 of human beings, in that it does not yield them that distinct 

 rank above all other living things, is less palatable to the major- 

 ity. Science says that the fear of women for snakes is an inherit- 

 ance of monkeylike ancestors ; that the most terrible foe of the 

 female monkey, the foe most prone to snatch the young one from 

 her, and even to take the mother herself on occasion, was the 



