DARWINISM IN THE NURSERY. 68 1 



In Tlie Luck of Roaring Camp every one will remember the 

 expression of one of Bret Harte's mining ruffians after lie liad 

 passed through the shanty containing the newly born " Luck " 

 and the corpse of the wretched mother. " He wrastled with my 

 finger," said Mr. Kentuck, regarding that member with curiosity, 

 and characteristically adding some adjectives more emphatic than 

 to the point. On reading the story aloud in company several years 

 ago a discussion arose as to whether the novelist was as correct an 

 observer of infant human nature as he doubtless was of the 

 vagaries of the pious cut-throats and chaste courtesans of the 

 Pacific slope in the golden days of '49, and considerable doubt 

 was thrown on the statement of Mr. Kentuck, since it did not 

 seem probable that so gelatinous and flabby a creature as a new- 

 born babe could " wrastle " (and prevail) even with a finger. Sub- 

 sequent observation proved that the novelist here did not go 

 beyond Nature's warrant, and that, whatever doubts we may have 

 of the disinterestedness of Mr. Oakhurst, or the constancy of 

 " Miggles," " The Luck " was drawn true to type. 



Finding myself placed in a position in which material was 

 abundant, and available for reasonable experiment, I commenced 

 a series of systematic observations with the purpose of finding out 

 what proportion of young infants had a noticeable power of grip, 

 and what was the extent of the power. I have now records of 

 upward of sixty cases in which the children were under a month 

 old, and in at least half of these the experiment was tried within 

 an hour of birth. The results as given below are, as I have already 

 indicated, both curious and unexpected. 



In every instance, with only two exceptions, the child was able 

 to hang on to the finger or a small stick three quarters of an inch 

 in diameter by its hands, like an acrobat from a horizontal bar, 

 and sustain the whole lueight of its body for at least ten seconds. 

 In twelve cases, in infants under an hour old, half a minute passed 

 before the grasp relaxed, and in three or four nearly a minute. 

 When about four days old I found that the strength had increased, 

 and that nearly all, when tried at this age, could sustain their 

 weight for half a minute. At about a fortnight or three weeks 

 after birth the faculty appeared to have maintained its maximum, 

 for several at this period succeeded in hanging for over a minute 

 and a half, two for just over two minutes, and one infant of three 

 weeks old for two minutes thirty-five seconds! As, however, in a 

 well-nourished child there is usually a rapid accumulation of fat 

 after the first fortnight, the apparently diminished strength subse- 

 quently may result partly from the increased disproportion of the 

 weight of the body and the muscular strength of the arms, and 

 partly from the neglect to cultivate this curious endowment. In 

 one instance, in which the performer had less than one hour's 



