THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SENSE OF TOUCH 157 



of the skin-folds surrounding the pads. Great morphological 

 importance is attached by Miss Whipple to these ridge-triradii 

 bordering the primary pads, and they form a leading point in 

 her classification of ridge patterns. By the presence or absence 

 of these triradii round a pad in their full number, or by their 

 more or less complete development, she would determine the 

 perfection or degeneration of the pad and its ridges, and she 

 is then led to the view of the human finger-prints in which 

 whorls, loops, and arches are shown, that these two last represent 

 successive stages of degradation. 



But if one looks at certain of the secondary pads or eminences, 

 one finds on these a precisely similar series of changes of pattern 

 to which Miss Whipple refers (without giving many drawings 

 of them) as secondary patterns, thus distinguishing them 

 from typical patterns. A few illustrations of the secondary 

 patterns are the proximal phalanges of Chrysoihrix sciurea, 

 Figs. 21, 22, in which well-marked arches are seen, the proximal 

 phalanges of Cebus fatuellus, Figs. 23, 24, with fully formed 

 whorls, which Miss Whipple would call "typical patterns," 

 if formed on a primary pad. Then in Papio porcarius, 

 Figs. 22, 28, the proximal phalanges show arches and loops, 

 but no whorls, as also Figs. 29, 30 of Cynopithecus niger, and 

 Figs. 31, 32 of Cercocebus, also the proximal and middle phalanges 

 of Macacus nemistrinus, Figs. 33, 34, both showing loops and 

 arches, but no whorls, and Macacus cynomologus, Fig. 35, with 

 well-formed ellipses on the proximal phalanges ; Macacus 

 silenus, Figs. 37, 38, with arches and loops on both middle 

 and proximal phalanges, and Cercopithecus patas, Figs. 39, 40, 

 with arches and loops on the proximal phalanges, and similar 

 patterns are seen on all the Anthropoid Apes which are illustrated. 

 Now Miss Whipple cannot possibly contend that these are 

 degenerated " typical patterns," for such patterns are not found 

 in the ancestors of these forms ; indeed, the further down the 

 scale of mammals one goes, the simpler are the patterns on 

 these secondary pads, and the ridges are usually either trans- 

 verse, obhque, or longitudinal. These secondary patterns 

 then, are very inconvenient witnesses for Miss Whipple's case, 



