\i The Descent of Man. Part I. 



which closely resemble those regularly present in our nearest 

 allies, the Quadrumana, are too numerous to be here even 

 specified. In a single male subject, having a strong bodily 

 frame, and well-formed skull, no less than seven muscular varia- 

 tions were observed, all of which plainly represented muscles 

 proper to various kinds of apes. This man, for instance, had on 

 both sides of his neck a true and powerful " levator claviculce" 

 such as is found in all kinds of apes, and w T hich is said to occur 

 m about one out of sixty human subjects. 49 Again, this man 

 had " a special abductor of the metatarsal bone of the fifth 

 " digit, such as Professor Huxley and Mr. Flower have shewn 

 " to exist uniformly in the higher and lower apes." I will give 

 only two additional cases; the acromio-basilar muscle is found 

 in all mammals below man, and seems to be correlated with a 

 quadrupedal gait, 50 and it occurs in about one out of sixty 

 human subjects. In the low r er extremities Mr. Bradley 51 found 

 an abductor ossis metatarsi quinti in both feet of man ; this muscle 

 had not up to that time been recorded in mankind, but is 

 always present in the anthropomorphous apes. The muscles of 

 the hands and arms — parts which are so eminently characteristic 

 of man— are extremely liable to vary, so as to resemble the 

 corresponding muscles in the lower animals. 52 Such resem- 

 blances are either perfect or imperfect; yet in the latter case 

 they are manifestly of a transitional nature. Certain variations 

 are more common in man, and others in woman, without our 

 being able to assign any reason. Mr. Wood, after describing 

 numerous variations, makes the following pregnant remark: 

 " Notable departures from the ordinary type of the muscular 

 *' structures run in grooves or directions, which must be taken 

 " to indicate some unknowm factor, of much importance to a 

 " comprehensive knowledge of general and scientific anatomy." 53 



49 See also Prof. Macalister in able case of variation in the human 

 ' Proc. R. Irish Academy,' vol. x. flexor poll lets longus, adds, "This 

 1808, p. 124. " remarkable example shews that 



50 Mr. Champneys in 'Journal of "man may sometimes possess the 

 Anat. and Phys.' Nov., 1871, p. 178. " arrangement of tendons of thumb 



51 'Journal of Anat. and Phys.' "and ringers characteristic of the 

 May, 1872, p. 421. " macaque ;, but whether such a 



52 Prof. Macalister (ibid. p. 121) " case should be regarded as a 

 has tabulated his observations, and " macaque passing upwards into a 

 finds that muscular abnormalities " man, or a man passing downwards 

 are most frequent in the fore-arms, " into a macaque, or as a congenital 

 >econdly, in the face, thirdly, in the " freak of nature, I cannot under- 

 foot, &c. " take to say." It is satisfactory 



53 The Rev. Dr. Haughton, after to hear so capable an anatomist, 

 giving (' Proc. R, Irish Academy,' and so embittered an opponent of 

 June 27, 1864, p. 715) a remark- evolutionism, admitting even the 



