THE DESCENT OF MAN; 



AND 



SELECTION IN KELATION TO SEX. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Tafi nature of the following work will be best understood by a 

 brief account of how it came to be written. During many years 

 £ collected notes on the origin or descent of man, without any 

 intention of publishing on the subject, but rather with the 

 determination not to publish, as I thought that I should thus 

 only add to the prejudices against my views. It seemed to me 

 sufficient to indicate, in the first edition of my ' Origin of 

 Species/ that by this work " light would be thrown on the 

 " origin of man and his history ;" and this implies that man must 

 be included with other organic beings in any general conclusion 

 respecting his manner of appearance on this earth. Now the 

 case wears a wholly different aspect. When a naturalist like 

 Carl Vogt ventures to say in his address as President of the 

 National Institution of Geneva (1869), "personne, en Europe 

 " au moins, n'ose plus soutenir la creation independante et de 

 " toutes pieces, des especes," it is manifest that at least a largo 

 number of naturalists must admit that species are the modified 

 descendants of other species ; and this especially holds good with 

 the younger and rising naturalists. The greater number accept 

 the agency of natural selection ; though some urge, whether with 

 justice the future must decide, that I have greatly overrated its 

 importance. Of the older and honoured chiefs in natural science, 

 many unfortunately are still opposed to evolution in every 

 form. 



In consequence of the views now adopted by most naturalists, 

 and which will ultimately, as in every other case, be followed by 



